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Visit our public support platform ask.openLCA, – a question-and-answer (Q&A) website on Life Cycle Assessment and also the official support platform for openLCA, openLCA nexus and the LCA Collaboration Server.

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openLCA

Here’s presenting the latest version 2.0.0 (release date: May 16th, 2023). We recommend using this version. Our tests have not shown any issues, but should you run into any, please let us know. Thanks in advance!

Release notes for openLCA 2.0 can be found in our blog.

To use openLCA in windows, download the zip-archive below: Just unzip the archive and start openLCA.exe. To uninstall it, just delete the created folder. You can have several versions of openLCA in different folders on the same computer.

openLCA 2.0.0 zip-archive: openLCA_Windows_x64_2.0.0_2023-05-16.zip
openLCA 1.11.0 zip-archive: openLCA_win64_1.11.0_2022-02-09.zip

Alternatively, you can install openLCA with the installer below. If you have an older openLCA version installed (via the installer) you should uninstall it first.

openLCA 2.0.0 installer: openLCA_Windows_x64_2.0.0_2023-05-16.exe
openLCA 1.11.0 installer: openLCA_win64_1.11.0_2022-02-09.exe

openLCA 2.0.0 dmg-file: openLCA_macOS_x64_2.0.0_2023-05-16.dmg
openLCA 1.11.0 tar.gz-archive: openLCA_macOS_1.11.0_2022-02-09.tar.gz

(if you are experiencing problems related to openLCA.app being “damaged”, refer to https://github.com/GreenDelta/olca-app/issues/152)

openLCA 2.0.0 tar.gz-archive: openLCA_Linux_x64_2.0.0_2023-05-16.tar.gz
openLCA 1.11.0 tar.gz-archive: openLCA_linux64_1.11.0_2022-02-09.tar.gz

The current openLCA source code can be found at Github. Older versions are available on sourceforge.

We provide regular unstable builds of the current development version

Note: This is not a stable openLCA version and should not be used in production. Existing databases can be used with this version but when opening a database with it an update may be executed which is not reversible. Thus, it is highly recommended to backup a database before opening it with this version. Also, there is no database compatibility guaranteed between different development versions. When you used a database with one experimental version it may not work with another. Thus, the best way to test a development version is to take a fresh database from a stable release and upgrade it (but please make a backup first). The folder also contains a document which describes new features and known issues. If you find other issues or errors please let us know, e.g. by creating an issue on Github or just send us an email. Thanks!

Mac: Open the application with Right-click > Open.

Windows

openLCA 1.10.3 zip-archive: openLCA_win64_1.10.3_2020-06-24.zip

openLCA 1.10.3 installer: openLCA_win64_1.10.3_2020-06-24.exe

Mac OS

openLCA 1.10.3 tar.gz-archive: openLCA_macOS_1.10.3_2020-06-24.tar.gz

Linux

openLCA 1.10.3 tar.gz-archive:openLCA_linux64_1.10.3_2020-06-24.tar.gz

LCA Collaboration Server

The LCA Collaboration Server is a server application that complements openLCA (the LCA desktop application). It facilitates exchange and synchronisation of LCA data (e.g. flows, processes, product systems or entire LCA models) between users who work from different computers, enabling distributed, collaborative LCA modelling. The Collaboration Server introduces industry-established concepts from software development to the LCA world, with e.g. on-demand tracking of changes as well as comparison of databases and optional merging of data. It is so far unique. The Collaboration Server is available for free. Support is available on demand. For requesting new features or reporting bugs please refer to our LCA Collaboration Server GitHub log.

Release notes on the new version can be found in our blog.

LCA Collaboration Server 2.0.0 Application: WAR

LCA Collaboration Server 2.0.0 Installer/Migrator: JAR

Please note that this version of the LCA Collaboration Server can only be used with openLCA version 2.x. For older versions of openLCA please use the previous 1.3.0 release.

If you are upgrading from a previous release, use the Installer/Upgrader and select u(pgrade) when running it, this will update the database and repositories only. In any case, a full reindexing (admin tool) of all repositories will be necessary after updating the application.

We prepared an installation guide for setting up the Collaboration Server

Hosting and support for the LCA Collaboration Server

LCA Collaboration Server Manual: LCA CS Manual

We provide regular unstable builds of the current development version

When using the migration tool to install or ugrade, you will need an empty mysql schema, which you specify in the installation process. You will need to update application.properties in the collaboration server war file accordingly, default values are ‘collaboration-server’ as name for the schema, user and password.

Note: This is not a stable Collaboration Server version and should not be used in production. Existing repositories can be upgraded with the migration tool which is not reversible. Thus, it is highly recommended to backup the repositories and database directories before running the migration. Also, there is no database or repository compatibility guaranteed between different development versions.

LCA Collaboration Server 1.3.0 Application: WAR

LCA Collaboration Server 1.3.0 Installer/Upgrader: JAR

If you are upgrading from a previous release, use the Installer/Upgrader and select u(pgrade) when running it, this will update the search index and database only. In any case, a full reindexing (admin tool) of all repositories will be necessary after updating the application.

We prepared an installation guide for setting up the Collaboration Server

Impact methods

Several impact methods for use in openLCA are available. The methods are provided for free, as openLCA databases, which can be easily imported into openLCA. If you have any comments or would like to submit own methods, please let us know.

A comprehensive package of environmental impact assessment methods for use with all different databases available in the nexus system – including ecoinvent 3, GaBi and ELCD is available here. It includes normalisation and weighting as far as this is foreseen by the method. Please observe the license* (Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International) while using it. Please provide feedback – thanks in advance!

Note that newer openLCA LCIA methods, especially the comprehensive 2.0 package for “countrified” databases released April 2018, are available on openLCA Nexus from now on only, here: https://nexus.openlca.org/database/openLCA%20LCIA%20methods.

openLCA LCIA method pack 1.5.7 as openLCA database for openLCA 1.6 (and also 1.7), last update: October 22nd, 2017. The newest methods are also available on the Nexus website.

openLCA LCIA method pack 1.5.6 as database for openLCA 1.5 (zolca file, 23 MB) with normalisation and weighting factors. Last update: February 20th, 2017.

Detailed information on the methods available in the LCIA method pack is available here (pdf, 801 kB). Last update: February 20th, 2017.
A major update was the update of the ILCD 2011 method from version 1.0.5 from February 2013 to version 1.0.10 from August 2016. More information about the update procedure can be found here (pdf, 1.14 MB).

Quality assurance of the implemented methods has been carried out and is available here (pdf, 381 kB).

Older versions of the openLCA LCIA methods:

Database for openLCA 1.4 and 1.5 (zolca file, 19 MB) with normalisation and weighting factors. Last update: March 22nd, 2016. (Detailed information on the methods available in the LCIA method pack is available here (pdf, 757 kB). Last update: March 16th, 2015.)

Database for openLCA 1.3.4 (olca file, 19 MB), with normalisation and weighting factors. This format has not been supported since May of 2014, with the exception of adding the Cumulative Energy Demand method on January 5th, 2015.

EcoSpold01 (zip archive, 12 MB) without normalisation values as the format does not allow this. Last update: March 16th, 2015.

*LCIA method pack for openLCA nexus by Cristina Rodríguez, Michael Srocka, Andreas Ciroth is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Based on work on www.openlca.org and various impact assessment models. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.greendelta.com.

Here, a pack containing a social LCIA method for use with the Social Hotspots Database is provided. Please observe the license* (Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International) while using it.

The social LCIA method is available in EcoSpold01 (zip archive, 64 kB).

LCIA method containing the different environmental indicators specified in the norm EN 15804:2012 for the creation of Environmental Product Declarations (EDPs) of the building and construction sector. The LCIA method can be used with LCI databases, such as GaBi, available in the nexus system and the EPD Editor plugin of openLCA in order to create new EPD datasets compliant with the EN 15804 and the Ökobaudat database. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know!

EN 15804:2012 LCIA Method

With permission of the ecoinvent centre, we are happy to be able to provide, for free, the LCIA methods of the ecoinvent database. LCIA methods packs for the ecoinvent databases 2.2, 3.01, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6 are available for download in openLCA Nexus. These LCIA methods should be used to reproduce the LCIA results published by the ecoinvent centre. They are not intended to be used with other openLCA Nexus databases because the impact characterisation factors included in them refer only to the openLCA elementary flows used by the ecoinvent databases. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know!

Download ecoinvent LCIA methods on openLCA Nexus

AWARE is a regionalised Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methodfor water scarcity in openLCA. AWARE quantifies the relative Available WAter REmaining per (specified) area after satisfying the demand of aquatic ecosystems and anthropogenic activities. Aim of AWARE is to assess the extent to which water users in an area are at risk of water scarcity. The findings are translated into a characterisation factor (CF) that ranges between 0.1 and 100. The characterisation factors can be utilised for calculating the water scarcity footprint in accordance with ISO 14046.

AWARE is the result of a two-year consensus building process developed by WULCA, a working group of the UNEP SETAC Life Cycle Initiative. AWARE is used for instance within the Environmental Footprint Initiative of the European Commission for Product Environmental Footprints (PEF).

Download JSON-LD AWARE LCIA for openLCA: Corrected and improved aggregation by GreenDelta

Data quality systems

Since version 1.6, openLCA supports data quality systems for process data sets and for exchanges (in process data sets). The ecoinvent and PSILCA databases from Nexus are already containing data quality systems, here below a collection of schemas to be used for assessing data quality in a product system calculation in openLCA.

To use, import below packs as JSON-LD into openLCA.

ecoinvent 3 original data

empirically based uncertainty factors, revised ecoinvent 3

US EPA

social LCA data quality system

Format converter

openLCA converter-3.1.3.zip (unzip and double-click, 5 MB)

source code openLCA converter version 3.1.3