Abstract
The development of unit process datasets is fundamental for any Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study. Unit processes developed are not always of the quality desired, which impedes their usability and influences the overall credibility of the studied system. This chapter is based on the relevant LCA standards and guidelines and streamlines the detailed procedures of unit process development from a practical point of view. It aims to serve as a brief, structured, and practical guidance and suggests “basic requirements,” i.e., what is necessarily required to produce a unit process dataset with reasonable data quality as well as sufficient and transparent documentation. Detailed recommendations are provided for self-checking, sensitivity analysis for improving the overall data quality, data quality evaluation, documentation, reviews, and development of tools that facilitate the development and application of unit processes. The chapter is meant to inform and aid experienced LCA practitioners from industry, policy, regulatory organizations, consultancy, and academia in unit process development.
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Notes
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Unit process datasets can be separated into foreground and background datasets. Foreground processes are directly part of the value chain of products or services in the focus of the LCA study, while the background datasets represent all up- and down-stream processes connected to the foreground datasets.
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Zhang, X., Wang, H., Treyer, K. (2021). Development of Unit Process Datasets. In: Ciroth, A., Arvidsson, R. (eds) Life Cycle Inventory Analysis . LCA Compendium – The Complete World of Life Cycle Assessment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62270-1_3
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