ReCiPe2016 Environmental Impact Factors for US Federal Flows

ReCiPe2016 (Huijbregts 2017) life cycle impact assessment method provides 18 midpoint and 3 endpoint environmental impact indicators. The method is applied to the standardized Federal LCA Commons Elementary Flow List (FEDEFL v1.0.7), with characterization factors calculated for three distinct cultural perspectives (Individualist, Hierarchist, Egalitarian). The dataset is formatted for use with the openLCA software and the LCIA Formatter tool.

Use Cases

• Calculate potential environmental impacts in Life Cycle Assessments by applying the 18 midpoint or 3 endpoint indicators to FEDEFL elementary flows.
• Compare impact assessment results across the three cultural perspectives (Individualist, Hierarchist, Egalitarian) for sensitivity analysis in LCA studies.
• Integrate standardized characterization factors into openLCA databases for impact assessment of US Federal LCA Commons-compliant inventory data.

Strengths

• Provides 18 midpoint and 3 endpoint impact indicators, offering a multi-faceted view of environmental effects.
• Characterization factors are calculated for three distinct cultural perspectives (I, H, E), enabling perspective-based analysis.
• Standardized application to the authoritative FEDEFL v1.0.7 flow list ensures consistency for US Federal LCA work.

Limitations

• Characterization factors for FEDEFL flows with less specific contexts are averages from more specific ReCiPe2016 contexts, potentially reducing precision.
• The dataset does not contain the elementary flow data itself, requiring a separate download of the FEDEFL v1.0.7 flow list for full functionality.
• Tested specifically for compatibility with openLCA v1.10 and FEDEFL v1.0.7, which may limit use with other software versions or flow lists.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, derived from the ReCiPe2016 method (Huijbregts 2017).

Collection Method

Created by the LCIA Formatter v1.0 tool, which applies ReCiPe2016 characterization factors to FEDEFL v1.0.7 flows using a defined mapping.

Freshness

Last updated July 2023.

Geography

Methodology is global, but flows are from the US Federal LCA Commons Elementary Flow List.