A presentation on the view of what is needed regarding LCA data docuemntation guidance to support LCA practice, held at the ISO/TC207/SC5 plenary in Gabarone, Botswana in June 2013.

1. ON THE CONTINUATION OF
ISO LCA DATA
DOCUMENTATION GUIDANCE
Raul Carlson
Sweden
Presented at ISO/TC 207/SC 5 June 24-30 2013 Gabarone, Botswana, contact information: raul.carlson@viktoria.se, raul@eco2win.com

2. CONTENTS
Purpose and value of ISO LCA data
documentation guidance
Brief information about the contents of the
ISO/TS 14048:2002 – Life cycle assessment Data documentation format
Challenges that lie ahead
Proposed first step from here
Presented at ISO/TC 207/SC 5 June 24-30 2013 Gaborone, Botswana, contact information: raul.carlson@viktoria.se, raul@eco2win.com

3. PURPOSE AND VALUE OF ISO LCA DATA
DOCUMENTATION GUIDANCE
 Reviewability (of data and LCA studies)
 An LCA study needs to allow for reviewability, hence calls for documented
data
 Lack of documentation harmonization drives costs for review
 Data acquisition (for LCA studies and databases)
 An LCA study is established on the acquisition of data from different sources,
hence an LCA study depends on documented data and calls for good
documentation routines
 Lack of documentation harmonization introduces data errors (hinders quality
analysis and leads to misinterpration) and drives data acquisition costs
(interpretation difficulties and needs to reinvent documentation routines over
and over again)
 Data exchange (for LCA studies and capacity building networks)
 LCA studies depend on exchange of data between practitioners and
organizations
 Lack of harmonization of documentation formats and nomenclatures
introduces data errors (manual or computer based misinterpration) and drives
data acquisition costs (need to reinvent solutions over and over again)
Presented at ISO/TC 207/SC 5 June 24-30 2013 Gaborone, Botswana, contact information: raul.carlson@viktoria.se, raul@eco2win.com

4. BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THE
ISO/TS 14048:2002 – LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT DATA DOCUMENTATION FORMAT
Data documentation of process
Process
Modeling and validation
(5.2)
(5.3)
Process
description
Inputs and
outputs
(5.2.2)
(5.2.3)
Administrative
information
Documentation format
for product systems and
unit processes
Figure 1 – Concepts of the data documentation format
Presented at ISO/TC 207/SC 5 June 24-30 2013 Gaborone, Botswana, contact information: raul.carlson@viktoria.se, raul@eco2win.com

5. BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THE
ISO/TS 14048:2002 – LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT DATA DOCUMENTATION FORMAT
Scope:
 Life cycle inventory data
Practical support and specification:
 Specifies ’all’ data fields necessary to enable review and
interpretation of LCI data
Data quality support:
 Specifies many data fields for statistics , transparency,
reviewability, interpretation, etc.
Market relevance:
 Is used as independent reference for database formats in
many instances
 Has not been used in full detail at many instances
Presented at ISO/TC 207/SC 5 June 24-30 2013 Gaborone, Botswana, contact information: raul.carlson@viktoria.se, raul@eco2win.com

6. CHALLENGES THAT LIE AHEAD
Scope:
 Expand to also LCIA data, e.g. definition of impact categories,
categor y indicator s, classification paths and characterization
modelling, as well as e.g. weighting, normalization and grouping.
Practical suppor t and specification:
 Specify key nomenclatures to suppor t LCI and LCIA database
build-up, data exchange and data networking
Data quality suppor t:
 Include last 10 year s of accelerating knowledge and practical
experiences, in par ticular the scope and structure for quantitative
environmental data acquisition and provision described in the
ISO/TS 14033:2012
Market relevance:
 Aim towards an independent reference for guidance data
documentation for 14044 and its dif ferent applications, such as
14025, 14067, 14045 and 14046
Presented at ISO/TC 207/SC 5 June 24-30 2013 Gaborone, Botswana, contact information: raul.carlson@viktoria.se, raul@eco2win.com

7. PROPOSED THREE FIRST STEPS FROM HERE
1. Maintain ISO 14048, as TS or TR
2. Propose a new work to develop a TR that
compiles and harmonizes best practice on
LCI and LCIA data documentation challenges
(listed on previous slide)
3. Replace ISO 14048 with new TR
Presented at ISO/TC 207/SC 5 June 24-30 2013 Gaborone, Botswana, contact information: raul.carlson@viktoria.se, raul@eco2win.com

8. THANK YOU!
QUESTIONS?
Contact information
raul.carlson@viktoria.se
raul@eco2win.com
Presented at ISO/TC 207/SC 5 June 24-30 2013 Gabarone, Botswana, contact information: raul.carlson@viktoria.se, raul@eco2win.com