I’m new to OneClick LCA and would like to know how to quantify the uncertainty in a life cycle assessment (LCA). From my perspective, the primary sources of uncertainty likely stem from the environmental data used for materials, transportation, and energy inputs.
How does OneClick LCA account for these uncertainties? Additionally, how do industry databases influence the reliability of LCA results, and what best practices exist for managing uncertainty in life cycle impact assessments? Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
Hello, the way uncertainty is taken into account depends on the LCA methodology the LCA must comply with. For example, some national regulations require you to apply a top up factor e.g. 10% or 20% to any generic material when used. This factor is already applied in these datapoints when used in the relevant tool in One Click LCA. RICS v2 in the UK probably has the most detailed requirements in terms of uncertainty since it looks into the design stage the assessment was undertaken at, the type of data used i.e. EPDs or generics and the source of material quantities. All these factors can be applied by the user in the One Click LCA tool for RICS v2. If you are looking to do an LCA not necessarily compliant with an LCA method and you want to take uncertainty into account, I would suggest that you give the RICS v2 tool a try even if you re not based in the UK(as long as your region is not requiring Traci data which cannot be used in the tool).