Hey 
I would like to know the source of the on site wastage percentage when “Global” has been selected in the LCA parameters.
I also wondered whether it makes a difference for construction site wastage whether a building or an infrastructure project is considered?
Thanks for your help in advance!
Theresia
Hi Theresia,
There is no single source available that has information on every product type. We use a mix of different sources. A good resource that has waste information on a wide range of products used to be the publisher Marcel Dekker, which we attribute to many product category percentages. Construction waste percentages in building and infrastructure currently use the same source.
The regional settings often come from regulatory sources that mandate the waste percentages.
If you are interested in a specific product, I can find the source for you. They are usually research papers or published journals.
Hello Steven,
thank you very much for your fast reply. 
The reason for my question is that we are teaching our students about lca in oneclickLCA. Of course, I would like to provide a database for the waste rate and not just blindly assume the value provided. If I understand correctly, however, there is no overview that is suitable for this.
But while we are at it, I would like to inquire about another topic. For the calculation of phase A4, I enter the transportation distance and the vehicle. Where do the values come from that are used to calculate the value for phase A4? Does information from the selected EPD also play a role or is the calculation completely independent of this?
I’m already looking forward to your answer.
Best regards
Theresia
Hi Theresia,
Thank you for your follow-up! It’s great to hear you’re teaching your students about LCA in One Click LCA.
You’re absolutely correct in your understanding: as of today, there isn’t a comprehensive, publicly available overview of waste rate defaults suitable for your needs. The European Environment Agency does publish reports occasionally, so it’s possible they might compile such a research report for Europe in the future. We’re also seeing movements in the UK regarding this topic. If such information becomes available, we’d certainly look into integrating it as an option.
Regarding your question about A4 emissions, when calculating Phase A4, you enter the transportation distance and the vehicle type. The values used for this calculation are indeed independent of the selected EPD.
The A4 emissions included in an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) are often not used. This is because those values frequently don’t reflect actual A4 emissions, which can vary significantly based on real-world transportation logistics.
Additionally, certifications and regulations often require the use of specific emission profiles and, in some cases, default distances for A4 calculations. To help our customers meet these requirements, we provide “default profiles.” These profiles come with a pre-set collection of emission profiles (for various vehicle types and fuel sources) and default distances. You can, however, manually overwrite these settings to ensure you achieve the most accurate A4 emissions possible, tailored to the specific project’s transportation details and any regulatory demands.
I hope this clarifies your questions about waste rates and A4 emissions in One Click LCA.
Steven