Sphera (formerly thinkstep) node on the Life Cycle Data Network
Node content overview:
1) Environmental Footprint (EF) secondary data sets version EF 2.0 – prolonged validity until 30 June 2023
2) Environmental Footprint (EF) secondary data sets version EF 3.1 – valid until 31 December 2024
3) Free-of-charge GaBi datasets (LCA starter package)
Details:
About 1) and 2): This node hosts the official, EF-compliant Environmental Footprint (EF) secondary datasets version EF 2.0 and EF 3.1 on energy, transport, metals & minerals, packaging, plastics non-packaging, electrical and electronics, end-of-life treatment (i.e. recycling, waste-to-energy, landfilling), as well as supplementary datasets, all provided by Sphera. These datasets are use restricted and for free-of-charge use exclusively for official PEF/OEF studies under any of the European Commission’s official PEFCRs/OEFSRs: EF 2.0 data for PEFCRs/OEFSRs of the EF pilot phase, EF 3.1 data for the PEFCRs. Before downloading the datasets, please make sure the intended usage is covered by EULA (End User License Agreement). The EULA has been updated in March 2023: Sphera has decided to prolong the free use rights of the EF 2.0 data from end of 2021 until mid-2023: https://sphera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/EULA_European_Commission_-_use_of_LCI_data.pdf
For any other or additional use (e.g. other LCA studies - also if using the PEF method or applying PEFCRs to similar product categories - or for implementing EPDs, etc.) a license fee is due to Sphera.
Access to the EF datasets (via the top right menu) requires registration (at the bottom left corner of this page). We recommend to also subscribe to the free information mailing list with the registration. This mailing list will inform you about any repair or replacement of datasets or other relevant information in PEF/OEF context. After you have received the confirmation of your registration and a login and password, you can select and access the relevant data stock "EF2_0_official_data", "EF3_1_official_data_energy_transport_packaging_EoL" or "EF_31pt2_official datasets" in the menu on the top right side of this page. The datasets can be browsed and viewed one by one, but also downloaded as large ILCD archive, using the official EF flow lists, for import into your LCA software.
! If you are a LCA FE Software user and wish to use the EF 2.0 datasets, please contact Sphera and we will provide you directly with a respective database that also includes the datasets from all other EF 2.0 data providers - you should not import the datasets from this node, to ensure MLC databases integrity.
For questions relating to the published EF data, please contact us at pef-oef-requests@sphera.com.
Need support with the Environmental Footprint? :https://sphera.com/environmental-footprint/
About 3): This node also hosts almost 2,000 free-of-charge, yet high quality MLC datasets on a range of energy carriers, transport processes, various materials and parts, as well as end-of-life treatments. If you are a LCA FE user: These data sets are already included in the GaBi Professional database and are provided here exclusively for non-GaBi Software users, must NOT be downloaded from this page and not be imported into GaBi, to ensure GaBi databases integrity; for details, please see more below.
For further information on Sphera, MLC Databases and the LCA FE (GaBi Software) suite, please see below:
About Managed LCA Content (GaBi databases)
MLC Databases are the globally largest, internally consistent, and annually updated LCA database system on the market today. MLC databases comprehends currently about 17,000 ready-to-use high quality Life Cycle Inventory profiles, built from several times as many underlying unit process datasets. MLC Databases are a subset of Sphera’s master data repository, the Global Industrial Process and Impact Database. Sphera also offers a unique data-on-demand service for customized datasets and for around 3,000 data-on-demand-only datasets, which are not part of the regular extension databases.
Various other databases have been created as variants of this master repository: these included from 2006 prominently the 500+ data sets of the European Commission's ELCD database, 3,000+ datasets contributing about half of the European Commission’s official EF 2.0 database and also half of the EF 3.1 database, and the ca. 2,000 "free GaBi LCI data sets" (both accessible via THIS data node of the Life Cycle Data Network (LCDN) of the European Commission). Furthermore, the national Oekobaudat created on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building, as well as substantial contributions to various National LCI database projects.
Over 40 international industry associations have selected MLC LCI data to represent the background data in their own LCI creation processes. Furthermore, multiple PLM and CAD systems integrate Sphera’s MLC data for use in the early design stage. For more information visit https://sphera.com/product-sustainability-gabi-data-search/
About LCA FE Software
The worldwide leading, professional life cycle assessment (LCA) software suite LCA FE is used throughout industries worldwide to help analysing and improving product sustainability performance. It comprises different solutions: LCA For Experts (LCA FE), LCA BOM Import (LCA BOM), LCA database server (LCA DS), LCA Calculator (LCA Calc), LCA for Packaging (LCA Pack) - for more information please visit https://sphera.com/product-sustainability-software/
About Sphera
Sphera is the leading provider of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance and risk management software, data and consulting services with a focus on Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability (EHS&S), Operational Risk Management and Product Stewardship. https://sphera.com/your-path-to-sustainability/