Environmental consulting

Life Cycle Assessment

Would you like to measure the environmental impact of products or services?

Would you like to know the ecological and economic consequences of a decision to be made?

Do you need a rational basis for environmentally responsible business management?

 

In our globalised world, we are confronted with the fact that the use of a product in this country can lead to environmental problems elsewhere due to its previous manufacture and delivery. The life cycle assessment has become an established tool for quantifying the overall impact of selected processes, companies, products or services.

A life cycle assessment (LCA) takes into account emissions and resource consumption quantitatively over the entire life cycle. The results can then be combined with economic indicators to create eco-efficiency indicators.

Downloads
Factsheet Life Cycle Analysis (English)
Factsheet Ökobilanzen (Deutsch)

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a powerful method for evaluating products, processes or services in terms of their environmental impact. The results can be combined with economic indicators to produce eco-efficiency metrics. A product life cycle assessment is frequently used with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of products and processes or to develop alternative solutions.

 

Screening LCA

A Screening LCA is suitable for an initial, rough evaluation of existing data. Our many years of experience show that in many cases the results are already so clear that a decision can be made, rendering a detailed analysis unnecessary.

 

The approach is carried out in two different ways:

  • LCA analysis: Analysis of a process or product with regard to its relevant, environmentally harmful sources and other factors
  • LCA Compare: Comparison of several products or processes in terms of their environmental impact

 

The ScreeningLCA is the ideal entry-level module when internal questions need to be answered in an environmentally sound and efficient manner.

 

CustomLCA

As an extension of ScreeningLCA, CustomLCA is the right tool for complex issues that cannot be fully addressed using existing methodologies. It is used when detailed data collection and modelling are required, or when assessment methods need to be expanded. This requires an in-depth technical understanding of the systems under investigation and detailed knowledge of the fundamentals of assessment methods – expertise that our staff possess.

CustomLCA is also ideal when the results of the assessment are to be published.

 

Projects
Contact persons
Tanja Laube
+41 44 552 43 21
E-Mail
Gavin Roberts
+41 61 206 95 34
E-Mail
Mareike Weiner
+41 61 206 95 38
E-Mail

Every organisation uses resources and generates emissions and waste. These factors lead to environmental impacts such as climate change, soil and water pollution and the depletion of natural resources.

More and more companies are motivated to minimise these impacts because it reflects their values, it’s demanded by their customers or is required by law.

The first step towards minimising these impacts is to draw up a corporate carbon footprint. It analyses an organisation’s activities in terms of their impact on the environment and helps to identify the hotspots. In other words, those activities that contribute the most to pollution and where the greatest leverage is available to achieve an improvement.

In addition to recording Scope 1 and 2 emissions (direct and indirect emissions from energy requirements), we specialise in recording Scope 3 emissions in particular. Scope 3 emissions occur in the upstream and downstream value chain, for example in the entire procurement or logistics process. Thanks to our many years of work in life cycle assessment, we have the necessary experience and tools to efficiently record and report Scope 3 emissions.

We support companies in creating a reduction pathway and in participating in the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). We have a framework agreement with the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) to support qualified companies in applying for funding from SwissEnergy.

We are also happy to review your existing operating balance sheet or your existing reduction path.

Projects
Contact persons
Stefanie Conrad
+41 44 444 20 12
E-Mail
Gerrit Hinkel
+41 61 206 95 55
E-Mail
Philipp Bolt
+41 44 552 43 20
E-Mail
Tanja Laube
+41 44 552 43 21
E-Mail

Would you like to analyse a parameter for which there is little data?
Are you planning to produce your products sustainably?
Do you want to make an informed decision despite uncertainty?

 

Nature and our economy have one thing in common: they are complex, dynamic systems in which undesirable and unforeseen side effects can sometimes occur after a decision has been made. With the help of our system modelling, we show you different variants with all their consequences in a model. We visualise interrelationships and show how a single factor can change the entire system.

 

Better results through fuzzy logic

The imprecise is difficult to understand. For example, there may be a lot of expert knowledge about a topic, but no quantitative data is available. The fuzzy logic method helps to describe qualitative knowledge with mathematical precision and to offset it against measurement data. In this way, even imprecise data can be precisely recorded.

Experience from various projects on air quality or biodiversity has shown this: Fuzzy logic helps to achieve better results with less effort.

 

The material flow analysis

Material flow analysis analyses specific material and energy flows. This enables us to record and visualise technical, economic or ecological systems. This is an important competence for determining the climate-relevant emissions of a region and utilising resources efficiently, for example. The material flow analysis shows which substances enter a cycle and where, and how long they remain in it. This enables us to provide a basis for planning and show you how a system can be improved.

 

System and uncertainty analyses

The Monte Carlo method makes it possible to use assumptions and estimates in system modelling to calculate how variable the results of a decision can be. This allows the risk of a project or system to be quantified. The Monte Carlo method is also suitable for sensitivity analyses and the calculation of confidence limits. It is also used, for example, in life cycle assessments to determine the significance of the results.

If required, we work with our client to model the system under consideration with all relevant assumptions and the associated uncertainties. We use this to calculate the variability of the result, or we limit ourselves to calculating the variability of the results of a model created by the client.

Projects
Contact persons
Flora Conte
+41 44 444 20 18
E-Mail
Mischa Zschokke
+41 44 444 20 15
E-Mail
Cornelia Stettler
+41 61 206 95 33
E-Mail

Sustainable solutions should be viable in the long term – ecologically and socially and, in the best case, also financially. It is important to base decisions not only on the purchase price, but also to consider the costs over the entire life cycle of a product or investment. The utilisation costs of long-lasting products in particular can be significantly higher than the acquisition costs.

The aim of life cycle costing (Total Cost of Ownership TCO and Life Cycle Costing LCC) is usually to compare two product alternatives in order to make a purchasing decision. However, it can also be very helpful for budgeting investments in order to estimate future costs.

The calculation of life cycle costs complements the product life cycle assessment if you want to take both ecological and economic criteria into account when deciding between different variants. There are also methods for linking these two types of criteria, e.g. eco-efficiency or the external cost method (in which the environmental impact is expressed in monetary units). In addition, we can take cost changes into account in the model, e.g. through a CO2 tax.

Contact person
Philipp Bolt
+41 44 552 43 20
E-Mail

The Packaging Calculator allows you to easily estimate the environmental and carbon footprint of your packaging and directly compare up to four different variations. The tool takes into account materials, the percentage of recycled content, transport, waste and the recycling rate of the materials, and displays the results in tabular form and clear graphs.

 

The emission factors in the Excel tool are based on the ecoinvent database and are updated annually. It is ideal for companies across all sectors, as well as packaging manufacturers, who wish to determine which packaging design is the best choice from an environmental perspective.

 

The calculator is a screening tool for internal decision-making. For detailed analyses or results intended for external communication, we recommend a product life cycle assessment (CustomLCA).

Contact person
Mareike Weiner
+41 61 206 95 38
E-Mail

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in accordance with ISO 14’025 is a type 3 product label that contains the life cycle assessment results of a product in accordance with specified standards. In the building sector in particular, more and more product EPDs are being requested in tenders to declare the environmental impact and are also increasingly being used by planners and architects.

Carbotech AG works with various customers on the creation of EPDs in accordance with EN 15’804+A2 and can draw on a wealth of experience.

EPDs provide a comprehensive list of information, but one difficulty is the evaluation of the large number of indicators. An overall assessment of the environmental impact (environmental footprint) is possible by weighting the results. For this purpose, Carbotech AG has developed an online calculator to compare the environmental footprint of products with a single parameter and to assess the relevance of the indicators given.

Click here for the EPD calculator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

An adapted ILCD Endpoint v1.06 method is used for an initial assessment of the environmental footprint (with the weighting set according to Huppes and van Oers). In some cases, the method was supplemented with simple approximations for an initial assessment of the environmental footprint. Carbotech AG accepts no liability for the analyses created with the calculator and the use of the results.

Projects
Contact persons
Cornelia Stettler
+41 61 206 95 33
E-Mail
Mischa Zschokke
+41 44 444 20 15
E-Mail

Verification by independent third parties enhances the credibility of any assessment. This is particularly true when results are communicated externally. Carbotech regularly produces external reports for life cycle assessments, corporate carbon footprints and other sustainability data modelling. These serve to ensure high quality standards. We conduct reviews in accordance with current standards (e.g. ISO 14040/44 for life cycle assessments, ISO 14067 for carbon footprints). In doing so, we check in particular whether:

  • the approach complies with international standards
  • the accounting methods used are scientifically and technically sound
  • the underlying data is appropriate and up to date
  • the boundaries of the analysis are taken into account
  • the results obtained answer the questions posed
  • the documentation is transparent and consistent

In addition, we offer audits for specific areas, such as:

  • Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emission factors in accordance with the GHG Protocol
  • FLAG emission factors in accordance with SBTi
  • Water and resource consumption data

From practical advice to expert reports – we are happy to support you with our expertise.

Projects
Contact persons
Thomas Kägi
+41 44 444 20 17
E-Mail
Mischa Zschokke
+41 44 444 20 15
E-Mail
Cornelia Stettler
+41 61 206 95 33
E-Mail
Gerrit Hinkel
+41 61 206 95 55
E-Mail