LCA data — generic materials data production at One Click LCA

What is generic materials data?

Generic materials data represents the average environmental impact across an industry sector or product category. It provides estimated calculations rather than specific measurements for individual products.

Why produce generic materials data?

One Click LCA understands that specific, local data for construction materials isn't always available. We create generic materials data to offer a dependable alternative when product-specific information, such as environmental product declarations (EPDs), is unavailable. This enables you to complete your project's life-cycle assessment (LCA) with confidence.

How One Click LCA produces generic materials

One Click LCA’s four-step process

When producing generic materials data at One Click LCA, we follow a rigorous four-step process to ensure quality, accuracy, and transparency.

1. Sourcing upstream and quantitative data

One Click LCA gathers data from published scientific studies. The first step is to identify and obtain reliable scientific articles relevant to the desired generic material, ensuring they include all necessary details on material inputs used during manufacturing. For instance, Figure 1 illustrates data sources for creating a generic model of lime-stabilized rammed earth walls.

Figure 1: Input-Output life-cycle assessment (I/O) inventory model used for lime stabilized rammed earth wall. “Life cycle analysis of environmental impacts of earthen materials in
the Portuguese context: Rammed earth and compressed earth blocks”, Jorge Fernandes et al. 2019

If necessary, One Click LCA combines data from multiple studies to create a more comprehensive model. Missing information is supplemented with data from similar products sourced from verified LCA studies or BOMs.

2. Modeling with EPD creation software

Once all input data, processes, material flows, and elemental flows are collected, One Click LCA creates the model using One Click LCA’s EPD creation software. This process is identical to that used for EPDs. If certain impacts are not included due to data limitations, clear explanations of any assumptions or exclusions are provided in the dataset description.

Generic construction products may vary in shape, size, and the inclusion of additive materials. One Click LCA aims to model generic materials to represent a broad range of commercial variations.

3. Review and internal verification process

An LCA data expert at One Click LCA, supported by a team of peers, conducts an internal quality assurance review to ensure model accuracy and integrity.

First, the manufacturing model and its environmental impacts are reviewed to verify calculation logic and data completeness. The expertise of One Click LCA’s team is crucial in this manual review phase.

Second, the environmental impacts are benchmarked against other LCA data using an internal automated benchmarking feature within One Click LCA software. This involves comparing the new generic materials against existing datasets, including industry EPDs and other global data. The world’s largest construction LCA database at One Click LCA is key for this benchmarking process.

4. Publishing and availability

After the review and confirmation of data quality, the generic material is published and added to the One Click LCA database. This data can now be accessed in our software for both design & construction and manufacturing.

Most One Click LCA generic materials include environmental impact indicators as required by global regulations, standards, and Green Building Councils (GBCs). They are available via the materials search feature in One Click LCA’s tools, subject to specific rules for the use of generic data.

One Click LCA’s generic materials typically include environmental impacts for standards such as EN 15804+A2, EN 15804+A1, TRACI, ISO 14040, ISO 14044, and ISO 21930. They also include additional indicators as required by various Product Category Rules (PCR) and EPD programs worldwide.

The published material description provides detailed information about the dataset and source data, along with transparent explanations of any assumptions or exclusions.

Why are the environmental impacts different in a One Click LCA generic material compared to an EPD for a similar product?

One Click LCA’s generic materials are designed to be applicable globally, reflecting average production methods and technologies. As a result, material and energy inputs are standardized globally, which may lead to somewhat higher environmental impacts compared to an EPD specific to your region.

Can I request One Click LCA to produce generic materials data for my LCA projects?

Yes, you can contact One Click LCA’s Customer Success team to request new generic materials data. For timely delivery, it is recommended to place the order through your support services subscription. This is a paid service, and the team can provide details and options.

Feedback, ideas, and requests for generic materials data are also welcome. These can be submitted through One Click LCA’s Customer Success team, but please note that production cannot be guaranteed. Requests are evaluated and prioritized based on global customer needs and the availability of reliable LCA studies.

If specific data is needed, it can be added directly to your company account as Private Data. This feature is available to all Expert license users, with instructions available in the One Click LCA Help Centre.

Find, compare & choose low-carbon construction materials

The Materials Compass from One Click LCA is designed to help construction professionals cut carbon in their projects & achieve sustainability goals by finding, comparing, and choosing the most sustainable building materials.

Explore Materials Compass