Life cycle data -

Availability and Quality:

responsible data selection

and management

Michael Spielmann

Martin Baitz

PE INTERNATIONAL

Lille, November 04, 2013

PE - a global company …

...working for all vertical Markets …………..

Electronics

High-tec Chemical

Transport

& logistics

Automotive

Manufacuring

Agriculture

food

Aerospace

Oil & gas

Construction

& building

Packaging

Media

Metals &

Mining

Consumer

goods

Tourism

Retail

Government

Finance

Energy &

Utilities

Apparel

≈ 220 employees

Proprietary &

Industry-specific

Content

..with 4 Business Lines

Status Quo of LCA in science and application….

LCA Scientific Planet LCA Management Planet

…still different planets!

Klöpffer W, Heinrich AB (2001) Two planets and one journal. Editorial. Int J Life Cycle Assess 6(1):1–3

Rebitzer G (2001) Increasing credibility of LCA. 8th Case Studies Symposium, Brussels November 30, 2000. Int J Life Cycle Assess 6(1):53–54

Baitz M et. al. (2012): LCA’s theory and practice: like ebony and ivory living in perfect harmony? Editorial in the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment,

online first, DOI 10.1007/s11367-012-0476-x.

…and upcoming: Planet Politics.

Data influences standards / standards influence data

data should be applicable in (m)any relevant standard(s)

data knowhow should shape the standards

stakeholder feedback , implementation time needed

…

Practitioner

Database

GaBi

ISO

14040/44 Feedback Improvement Demand

„The“ method

USLCI

„Other“ methods

GHG Accounting

EU PEF

EN 15804

ELCD

Adequateness of data

• “Data provision and use” in known Management Cycle :

• Generally: Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle

• in LCA terms: Plan-Implement-Maintain-Review Cycle

How to insure adequateness of data provision and use ?

Core Aspects in LCA Data Management Cycle

• Planning: Novelties and Demand are core driver

• new technologies, new regulations, new standards, new knowhow

• stakeholder feedback needed to avoid ivory tower !

• Implementation: Relevancy and consistency are core driver

• LCI method knowhow and engineering knowhow needed

• Maintenance: Frequency and temporal reliability is core driver

• renew dynamic data and retire old data

• Review: User feedback and check of supply chains are core driver

• mirror data against changes of technology, economy, society

What are starting points for individual improvement ?

Energy Chemistry Plastics Metals Renewables End-of-life

ConstructionElectronics GaBi Master Database

Content team

Expert teams provide data input product LCIs or unit processes as well

as documentationTransportCoating &

Textile

Creation of final database content (after validation)

Feedback from clients and market

Provision of technological platform and methodological guidance

Maintained across all branches and frequently

updated

Our data means continuity and reliability

Why aggregation ?

• To reduce risk of data providers and data users and decision makers

• To enlarge the usable data pool

• To enable to use data of complex systems (e.g. PTFE dataset composes of over 100,000 unit processes)

• Aggregation is not done to hide, but to protect (data providers, data developers, data users and data interpreters):

• to protect private data, information sources or IPRs

• to account for competition regulations and laws (strictly enforced in EU)

• to avoid errors of technological misconnections/combinations of unit processes

• to act as official benchmarks for pre-competitive alignments in branches

• Aggregation aims to provide a maximum in reliability and quality of data, with the cost of certain less transparency in the dataset as such

• Potential lack of (unit-process) data transparency is compensated by documentation and review processes.

8

PE introduces critical review process of its GaBi database

with inspection and verification company DEKRA

The DEKRA critical review of the GaBi Database verifies:

- Credible independent sources underpinning each dataset

- Up to date engineering know-how used in composing the dataset

- Accurate meta information documenting the dataset.

Webpage : http://www.pe-international.com/company/newsroom/press-releases/data-quality-and-integrity-key-in-achieving-best-life-

cycle-assessment-and-sustainability/

Summary and Outlook

• Any “planet” needs data, “no data – no result”

• Data quality is often addressed, barley understood and is of relative nature

• Data provision and use should be understood from any stakeholder as part of the

“normal” management cycle: Plan-Do-Check-Act (or, to translate into the LCA data

world, maybe: Plan-Implement-Maintain-Review)

• Aggregation of data aims to provide a maximum in reliability and quality of data,

with the cost of certain less transparency in the dataset as such

Thank you very

much for your

time!

11

Backup

12

13

PEF Impacts Summary

• Open questions and issues may be solved “along the way” when

applying the PEF methodology in pilot projects.

• GaBi 6 is currently being reviewed for PEF compliance, together

with two other databases

• Yearly database updates ensure the

implementation of consolidated improvements

in the databases

2013

2014

2015

2016

Yearly technical

update

Pilot Phase

preparation

Pilot Phases –

PCRs

feedback, test,

modification of PEF

and adaption of GaBi

DBs

PEF conform GaBi

DBs

General

Handbook

(paper)

Turning theory into professional practice

Basic

Standards

(paper)

Global

Guidance

(paper)

Multi-use

technology

(software + databases)

standard

app. 60 pages

rules

solution

140 pages + 5000 electronic

documentation files

application

app. 400 pages

+ 1000 pages annex

app. 160 pages