I have a question about A3 Manufacturing energy datapoints. If energy consumption data is unavailable, can generic datapoints (such as “Metal working, average for steel product”) be used? So far I haven’t come across any examples of this in OneClick LCA. I’ve used these forming process datapoints previously in A1 for some components - can they be applied in A3 as well?
I do have energy consumption data for the majority of manufacturing processes - but these few processes outside the main site are trickier to measure accurately. I imagine they also do not have a significant effect on overall A3 results, but enough for the need to include them.
Hello Annika, thank you for joining the community and for raising this question.
If energy consumption data for certain A3 manufacturing processes is unavailable, it is acceptable to use generic or average data points (such as “Metal working, average for steel product”) to fill data gaps, provided these are conservative assumptions and are properly documented. All inputs and outputs for which data are available should be included, and any data gaps may be filled with average or generic data.
This approach is consistent with LCA best practices and the cut-off rules of relevant standards. All significant materials and processes should be included, and the use of secondary data (such as generic datasets) is acceptable when specific data is unavailable, as long as the assumptions are documented and the overall completeness criteria are met.