ecoinvent is a comprehensive life cycle inventory database that provides consistent and transparent data for Life Cycle Assessment studies. It represents one of the most widely used and internationally recognised LCA databases, offering detailed information on thousands of products, processes, and services across multiple sectors of the global economy.
The ecoinvent database is developed and maintained by the ecoinvent Association, a Swiss non-profit organisation. It provides activity datasets that document the inputs and outputs of industrial and agricultural processes, including raw material extraction, manufacturing, transport, energy supply, waste treatment, and end-of-life processes. Each dataset includes elementary flows (emissions to air, water, and soil, as well as resource extractions) and intermediate product flows that link processes within product systems.
ecoinvent employs specific terminology and methodological approaches that have become influential in the broader LCA community. For instance, the database uses the term "reference product" to denote what is elsewhere called a determining product, and it has developed sophisticated approaches to handling multi-output processes through both attributional and consequential system models.
The database is structured around unit process datasets that can be linked to form complete product systems. It provides different system models, including cut-off, allocation at the point of substitution (APOS), and consequential, each applying different methodological approaches to handling by-products and wastes. This flexibility allows practitioners to conduct LCA studies aligned with different modelling philosophies and research questions.
ecoinvent data follows the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards for Life Cycle Assessment and undergoes regular updates to reflect technological developments, improved data quality, and expanded geographical and sectoral coverage. The database has become a de facto standard in many industries and is integrated into most major LCA software tools.
