JRC ongoing activities for the improvement of Data Quality and Harmonization in LCI datasets and databases

the availability of consistent, harmonized and quality assured datasets and databases, is deemed as one of the most important factors for the robustness of LC-based studies and methodologies. The European Commission in the last decade put a lot of effort on that, releasing the ILCD handbook, including a set of rules on data quality (DQ) and dataset format; recently, the "Single Market for Green Products" initiative, through the launch Environmental Footprint (EF) methods, highlighted again the above mentioned needs. In this framework the Joint Research Centre is leading some activities in order to evaluate the efforts needed to improve the existing LCI databases, against the ILCD and EF DQ requirements. Furthermore, some analyses have been carried out to assess the DQ Rating (DQR) of specific sectorial datasets and databases, within the European Life Cycle Database (ELCD), in comparison with other databases, in order to point out the strength and weak-points of the ELCD and figure out some possibilities for improvement of DQRs. An analysis on three commercial databases has been carried out, in order to evaluate the needs for improvement aimed at fulfilling the DQ requirements for ILCD entry-level and EF compliance. Among the detailed DQR analyses, the evaluation of energy datasets (deemed as very important secondary data sources for LCA practitioners) from ELCD and other three commercial databases, is reported in this study. The first, more general, analysis resulted in a road map, analyzing the milestones needed to fulfill EF and ILCD DQ requirements, in the existing databases, particularly focusing on Format, Nomenclature, Documentation and Methodological aspects. The DQR analysis on energy datasets pointed out some actions to be taken in the short-mid and long term, in order to enhance the DQR of the ELCD datasets, and keep the overall DQ high over time at database level.

FAZIO Simone;  RECCHIONI Marco;  MASONI P.;  GARRAIN Daniel; 

2014-11-19

AVNIR

JRC89844

9782954343228,   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC89844,