We use Higg for the LCAs, what is the difference with you?
Higg takes emission factors from different databases and facilitates the measurement of LCAs. High has limitations, because to model product-specific measurements in a product-specific way with Higg is complicated. It doesn't allow you to go into as much detail. And Higg is only about LCAs, they don't have a carbon footprint, so changes in the production process you can't calculate what they impact on your HC.
With higg it is difficult to demonstrate the positive impacts of a change in the production process. To change factors is not flexible. It is difficult to customise the EFs that Higg gives you. Higg only provides generic emission factors.
We offer the possibility to break down each factor so that if you change the source or composition of a material, it impacts (positively or negatively) on your LCA.
How are LCAs done? What data is required?
First, the value chain of the product is modelled, from obtaining the raw material until it is sold or until the end of life. Once the value chain is modelled, emission factors are assigned for each element of the value chain, and according to each piece of data, the calculation is made following the EFs.
Each product already has its value chain modelled on the basis of the data reported by the suppliers (ecoinvent).
The databases gather all the information of the product production chain. Based on where each material is produced, these production values are assigned. The average provenance of global production is weighted to calculate these EFs. The factors gathered are water, transports, electricity, raw materials used for these analyses, etc. The analyses can vary depending on how much you want to dig deeper.
You need suppliers, location of suppliers, materials, quantity, value chain, means of transport, production process, number of SKUs.
For the use phase, it is useful to have the primary data that the company can provide regarding the use of the products.
For end-of-life, there are databases with end-of-life processes.