Methodology applied to the background analysis of energy data to be considered for the European Reference Life Cycle Database (ELCD)

In the Integrated Product Policy Communication of 2003 [1], the European Commission recognised Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as “the best framework for assessing the potential environmental impacts of products”. Since then, life cycle approaches were further strengthened in EU policies through the Sustainable Production and Consumption / Sustainable Industry Policy Action Plan Communications that encompasses various policies (e.g. Eco-design for Energy-related Products Directive, Footprint initiative, etc.). Within this context there is an urgent “need to improve data availability and quality worldwide by internationally cooperating on LCA data and methods”. To address this situation, the European Reference Life-Cycle Database (ELCD) [2] has been developed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (DG JRC). The ELCD provides core Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data from front-running EU-level business associations and, where not available, other sources. Within the ELCD, several energy-related data are provided, being energy a major input for almost all the environmental analyses of products or processes. The present paper will provide the description of the methodology that will be used for the analysis of the quality of energy data for European markets that are available in 3rd party life cycle databases and from authoritative sources that are, or could be, used in the context of the ELCD. The methodology have been developed by a joint project with the cooperation of the EC JRC and the Energy Systems Analysis (ASE) Unit of CIEMAT (Public Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology) (Madrid, Spain).JRC.H.8-Sustainability Assessmen