Title: Life cycle assessment and software tools comparison

Authors: Michal Sečkár; Marián Schwarz; Juraj Golej; Darina Veverková

Addresses: Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, 960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia ' Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, 960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia ' Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, 960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia ' Institute of Foreign Languages, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, 960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to provide the necessary information about life cycle assessment (LCA), from the definition of the goal and scope through the inventory analysis, the life cycle impact assessment, the interpretation of the results, and the use of LCA study. Moreover, information about SimaPro, GaBi, openLCA, and Umberto software were described and SimaPro and Gabi software were compared. The requirements of what the software should enable and what is necessary for its operation and use by experts were discussed. The two most frequently used software were studied in terms of several criteria. The advantages and disadvantages of each software were analysed. The results show that both software are special and different in some way. It is important to be aware of the differences among the used software and databases, especially when interpreting results and in comparative studies.

Keywords: life cycle assessment; LCA; SimaPro; GaBi; software.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2025.145333

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2025 Vol.24 No.2, pp.145 - 162

Received: 08 Jun 2023
Accepted: 13 Mar 2024
Published online: 31 Mar 2025 *

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