The new update of the openLCA LCIA Method package (v2.8.0) is now available on Nexus. These are the main highlights of the update:
ECO-COSTS 2025 newly added
The Eco-costs method is a monetized single-indicator system that is prevention-based and compliant with ISO 14008 (Monetary valuation of environmental impacts and related environmental aspects).
The system is built on EF midpoint tables, but uses its own methodology to define four endpoints (Areas of Protection):
– Climate Change
– Nature & Biodiversity
– Human Health
– Resource Scarcity
These endpoints are aggregated into a single indicator: the eco-costs.
Special attention has been paid to avoiding double-counting, as required by ISO 14044 (section 4.4.2.2.3).
For a detailed system description, see:
www.ecocostsvalue.com/ecocosts/ and FAQ 1–5 on this website.
The method is developed and implemented by Sustainability Impact Metrics, a spin-off of Delft University of Technology.
IPCC 2021
- Deleted flows emitted to other compartments than air from all category (except “Carbon dioxide, to soil or biomass stock/Emissiot to soil”)
- Added two extra categories (IPCC 2021 GWP 100 (emissions to all compartments) and IPCC 2021 GWP 100 (non-fossil CO2 uptake and emission; emissions to all compartments)) that still includes the emission to other compartments
IPCC 2021 (ISO 14067):
- Deleted flows emitted to other compartments than air from all category (except “Carbon dioxide, to soil or biomass stock/Emissiot to soil”)
EF 3.1:
- Climate Change (fossil) and Climate Change
- Added impact factos
- Acidification
- Corrected flow-based regionalized impact factors
- Eutrophication terrestrial
- Corrected flow-based regionalized impact factors
- Human Toxicity
- Chromium III removed
- Cobalt II removed
- Arsenic, ion/Emission to water/freshwated changed into Arsenic, ion/Emission to water/unspecifies
- Chromium VI added
- Updated vallue of other impact factors
- Ecotoxicity freshwater (inorganics)
- Pyrene, Fluoranthene, Anthracene, Phenanthrene removed
- Pyrene, Fluoranthene, Anthracene, Phenanthrene removed
- Photochemical ozone formation
- Removed Carbon monoxide, non-fossil
- Water use
- RoW value set to 42.95
- Regional China values aligned
- New parameters added (“realistic”/”compliant”) to account for cases when openLCA implementation mapped flows that are not in the EF original files, but that are present in openLCA reference system (e.g. land use “transformation, to seabad, drilling and mining”). The parameters can be found in the Global parameters>LCIA Methods 2.8.0>EF 3.1 folder and the default value are set as compliant = 1 and realistic = 0.
Where to obtain the latest openLCA LCIA Method package:
The method package is available on Nexus here: https://nexus.openlca.org/database/openLCA%20LCIA%20methods.
How to update the LCIA Methods in openLCA:
If you want to update the method package in a database that already contains the previous version, you have different options:
- Delete the current version of the method package (both methods and impact categories folders) and then import the latest one,
- Import the latest one and use the option “Overwrite all existing datasets”. This option will overwrite all the existing version of the method package with the newest one. At the end you will see the new folders and the old ones (both of methods and impact categories) which will be empty and you can safely delete.
We recommend to make a copy or a backup of the database in use before making any changes. Moreover, it’s not possible to have different version of the method package within the same database. In that case, we advise to have two copies of the same database with different versions of the methods imported.
For general questions you can contacts us on ask.openLCA. Otherwise you can book support with us in openLCA Nexus: https://nexus.openlca.org/service/openLCA%20Support%20(help%20desk)