A curated list of awesome LCA resources. Inspired by awesome-php and awesome-computer-vision.

LCA is a methodology to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life, from raw material extraction, production, use, and disposal. This repository aims to help researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts find valuable LCA resources in one place.

Contributions are always welcome! Please feel free to send me pull requests to add links. You can look at contributors to see the list of awesome LCA people.

• Learning Resources
  • Courses and Lectures
  • Webinars and Online Training
  • Guides and Wikis
  • eBooks
• Conferences and Workshops
• Books, Papers and Journals
• Software
• Databases
• Frameworks and Standards
• Podcasts
• YouTube Videos
• Blogs

• Carnegie Mellon University: Environmental Life Cycle Assessment - Lecture notes, slides and course material.
• MIT: Green Supply Chain Management - A lecture exclusively mention about LCA.
• University of Freiburg: Industrial Ecology Open Online Course - A collection of web content on industrial ecology.
• Coursera LCA Course - Introduction to LCA and its applications.
• OpenLCA Knowledge Base - Guides, manuals, and community support for OpenLCA.
• Introduction to LCA: Thinkstep - A basic guide on LCA and its benefits by Thinkstep (now part of Sphera).
• Harvard LCA Course - Harvard's online learning resource and coursework on LCA (free access with registration).
• Future Learn - LCA Course - A short online course explaining LCA concepts and methodology.
• iPoint LCA Webinars - Series of webinars hosted by iPoint focusing on LCA methodologies and industry applications.

• LCAX International - Annual conference series focused on Life Cycle Assessment. It covers various topics such as methodologies, databases, and applications across industries.
• SETAC - Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry organizes LCA-focused events, including workshops and symposiums across regions like North America, Europe, and Asia.
• International Conference on Life Cycle Management (LCM) - A biennial conference for researchers and practitioners that addresses the implementation of life cycle approaches in business and society.
• International Life Cycle Data (ILCD) Network Symposium - A symposium organized by the European Commission Joint Research Centre focusing on LCA data and methodologies.

• Life Cycle Assessment: Quantitative Approaches for Decisions that Matter
• Life Cycle Assessment: Theory and Practice
• Life Cycle Impact Assessment
• The Handbook of Life Cycle Assessment - A comprehensive guide to LCA methodologies and their applications in various industries.
• Environmental Science & Technology - Leading journal publishing cutting-edge research on LCA, sustainability, and environmental science.
• Journal of Industrial Ecology - A key journal on sustainability, life cycle thinking, and industrial ecology.
• International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment (IJLCA) - The premier journal specifically focused on the LCA field, covering topics from methodology to practical applications in industry.
• Life Cycle Impact Assessment in Europe: A Guide - This book provides insights into the European context of LCA, including key metrics and case studies.
• ISO Standards for LCA - The official ISO 14040 and 14044 documents provide the foundation for standardized LCA methodology.
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to LCA - A practical guide to conducting life cycle assessments, with examples and case studies.
• Environmental Life Cycle Costing (ELCC) - This book combines LCA with costing models to assess both environmental and economic impacts of product systems.
• Life Cycle Thinking: Advances in LCA Methodology - Explores new methodologies and frameworks for applying life cycle thinking to sustainability challenges.
• Assessing the Environmental Impact of Products: A Textbook on LCA - This book serves as an educational guide to performing LCA for products, focusing on real-world examples and industrial applications.
• Eco-efficiency in Industry and Science - A collection of studies addressing eco-efficiency and LCA in industrial and scientific fields.
• Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment in Industrial Biotechnology - Focuses on LCA in the context of biotechnology and how to integrate sustainability into industrial processes.
• Design for Environment: A Guide to Sustainable Product Development - This book explores the design phase in product development and how LCA can guide sustainable choices.
• Cleaner Production and LCA - A collection of case studies on cleaner production practices, with emphasis on LCA and sustainability strategies.
• Environmental Footprints and Eco-Design of Products and Processes - Provides a deep dive into the concept of eco-design, focusing on reducing environmental footprints through life cycle thinking.
• The Circular Economy and Life Cycle Assessment - Discusses the relationship between circular economy principles and life cycle assessment for better sustainability management.
• Resources, Conservation & Recycling - Publishes papers on recycling, resource management, and LCA’s role in the circular economy.
• Sustainability - An open-access journal that covers a wide range of sustainability issues, including many LCA-related topics.
• Green Chemistry - Publishes papers on sustainable chemical processes, often with LCA evaluations of chemical product life cycles.
• Environmental Impact Assessment Review - Focuses on environmental impact assessments, including contributions that utilize LCA approaches.

• OpenLCA - Free and open-source software for LCA, supporting various databases and impact methods.
• SimaPro - Professional LCA software trusted by industry and academics.
• GaBi - Comprehensive LCA software with access to industry-specific data.
• Brightway2 - Python-based framework for advanced LCA modeling.
• ecoinvent - One of the leading life cycle inventory databases, compatible with major LCA tools.

• Agribalyse - A French agricultural life cycle inventory (LCI) database that provides data on food production and agricultural practices.
• World Food LCA Database (WFLDB) - Offers global LCI data for agricultural production and food products.
• Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI) - Focuses on life cycle datasets for animal feed production worldwide, providing transparent LCA data for the livestock industry.
• Agri-footprint - A detailed agricultural database that covers food and feed supply chains, with data on farming, processing, and packaging.

• ecoinvent - A comprehensive LCI database that covers a wide range of energy production systems, including fossil fuels, renewable energy, and nuclear power.
• USLCI Database - Provides free access to life cycle data related to energy production in the United States, including renewable energy technologies.
• GaBi Database - Contains high-quality datasets for global energy systems, energy storage, and renewables, such as solar, wind, and biomass energy.
• Bioenergy and Food Security LCA Data (BFS) - Focuses on life cycle data related to bioenergy production and its implications for food security.

• ELCD (European Reference Life Cycle Database) - Provides data on building materials and construction processes within Europe, including cement, steel, and aggregates.
• GaBi Construction Materials Database - Offers comprehensive datasets for various construction materials such as cement, concrete, insulation materials, and steel.
• Ökobaudat - A German LCA database specifically focused on building materials and construction processes, often used in sustainable building certification systems.
• ICE Database - Embodied energy and carbon database for building materials, providing environmental impact data for common construction products.

• ecoinvent - Contains extensive data for transportation modes, including road vehicles, air transport, shipping, and railways.
• European Platform on LCA (EPLCA) - Provides LCA datasets related to European transportation systems and mobility.
• Transport LCI Database - Developed by Chalmers University, this database includes LCI data on various transportation systems, including passenger vehicles, freight transport, and aviation.
• USLCI Database - Offers life cycle data on transportation systems and vehicle technologies in the United States, including fuel use and emissions.

• ecoinvent - Provides data for chemicals production processes and manufacturing, covering everything from basic chemicals to specialty chemicals and industrial processes.
• GaBi Databases - Includes LCI data on chemical manufacturing and industrial processes for various sectors, such as plastics, pharmaceuticals, and textiles.
• Plastics Europe Eco-profiles - LCI datasets related to the production of different types of plastics, resins, and polymers used in manufacturing.
• European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) - Provides LCA data on the European chemical industry, including production processes and environmental impacts of chemicals.

• ecoinvent - Contains life cycle data for electronic components, semiconductors, and ICT products, including data on materials and production processes.
• GaBi Electronics Database - Provides datasets on electronic components, printed circuit boards, and ICT products, with a focus on production, use, and disposal phases.
• ProBas Database - Germany’s environmental database, offering detailed LCA data on electronics and electrical equipment, covering their entire life cycle.
• EIME Database (Environmental Information and Management Explorer) - Provides life cycle inventory data on electrical and electronic products, widely used by manufacturers in the ICT sector.

• Sustainable Apparel Coalition Higg MSI Database - Provides life cycle data on materials and manufacturing processes used in the fashion and apparel industry, with a focus on sustainability.
• GaBi Fashion and Textiles Database - Contains datasets on textiles, clothing production, and footwear, from raw material extraction to final product manufacturing.
• TexPro LCA Database - A specialized database for textiles and fashion that includes life cycle data on fibers, fabrics, and manufacturing processes in the textile industry.

• ecoinvent - Includes life cycle data on waste management processes, including recycling, incineration, and landfill scenarios for various materials.
• ELCD (European Reference Life Cycle Database) - Offers datasets on European waste management processes and recycling.
• WRATE Database - Provides datasets for waste recycling and treatment technologies, used in the WRATE tool (Waste and Resources Assessment Tool for the Environment).
• GaBi Waste Management Database - Contains data on waste treatment and disposal systems, including recycling, waste-to-energy, and landfill operations.
• European Waste Catalogue (EWC) - A classification of waste in the EU, providing LCA data on different types of waste and their management.

• Water Footprint Network Database - Provides data related to water footprints, including consumption and pollution for various industrial processes and agriculture.
• ecoinvent - Includes data on water treatment processes and the environmental impact of water use in various industries.
• GaBi Water Database - Provides data on water treatment technologies, water footprints, and water consumption across sectors like agriculture and manufacturing.

Official standards and frameworks help ensure consistency in LCA methodology.

• ISO 14040 - International standard for LCA principles and framework.
• ISO 14044 - LCA requirements and guidelines.
• Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) - European Commission’s method for assessing environmental impacts.
• ILCD Handbook - European guidance document on LCA practices.

• Sustainability Explored - A podcast covering various sustainability topics, including Life Cycle Assessment. Some episodes feature LCA experts and real-world applications.
• Sustainababble - A lighthearted podcast discussing environmental issues, with some episodes touching on the importance of LCA in sustainability.
• The Circular Economy Podcast - Explores how LCA supports circular economy strategies, with interviews from industry experts, discussing real-world applications.
• The Sustainability Agenda - Focuses on in-depth interviews with sustainability experts, with episodes discussing how LCA can be used as a tool to measure environmental impacts.
• The Green Element Podcast - A podcast that delves into sustainability strategies, with a focus on LCA as a tool for environmental improvement in businesses.
• IEAM Podcast: Reuse it or lose it! Using LCA to quantify the environmental benefits of reuse, with Valentina Castellani

• What is Life Cycle Assessment? (Intro by PRé Sustainability) - A short video introducing the basics of LCA and its role in sustainability.
• Life Cycle Thinking - UN Environment Programme - An overview of life cycle thinking and how LCA contributes to sustainable decision-making, presented by UNEP.
• ecoinvent in a nutshell - A video introducing the ecoinvent database and its role in supporting LCA projects across industries.
• OpenLCA Tutorial for Beginners - A step-by-step guide on how to perform LCA using OpenLCA software.
• SimaPro Software Introduction - A comprehensive overview of how to use SimaPro software for conducting LCAs.

• Climat, Énergie et Environnement - A research blog that covers climate, energy, and LCA, with articles on environmental sustainability, carbon footprints, and circular economy approaches.
• ADEME - Agence de la Transition Écologique - ADEME’s website and blog provide regular updates on LCA, environmental sustainability, and policy developments in the context of French environmental regulations.
• Cycleco Blog - A French blog focusing on life cycle analysis (ACV), eco-design, and environmental product declarations, with industry-specific case studies and tool recommendations.
• Evea Blog - Focuses on LCA in French, offering articles on sustainability, life cycle thinking, and eco-design for various sectors.

• PRé Sustainability - PRé Sustainability’s blog features articles on LCA methodologies, case studies, and tools, with a focus on helping businesses implement life cycle thinking. It covers a wide range of industries, including food, fashion, and construction.
• Trellis - Greenbiz is a leading source for news on sustainability, circular economy, and corporate responsibility. It regularly publishes content on LCA, including its role in sustainable product development and corporate sustainability strategies.
• Sphera Sustainability Blog - Sphera’s blog focuses on LCA, environmental management, and EHS (Environment, Health, and Safety) topics. It provides insights into how LCA tools like GaBi help companies reduce their environmental impact and improve sustainability.
• Sustainability Matters - This blog covers a wide range of sustainability topics, including LCA. The blog’s LCA-related posts explain the methodology, its importance in reducing environmental impacts, and real-world applications.
• Circular Ecology Blog - Circular Ecology’s blog covers topics related to sustainability, circular economy, and LCA, with a focus on embodied energy and carbon footprints. It offers insights into how LCA can drive more sustainable practices in construction and energy sectors.