Life Cycle Assessment Databases

Resources

Free & Paid
Download/Install required
Registration required

https://nexus.openlca.org/databases

Biggest repository of free and paid LCA databases. No Life Cycle Assessment without these: the openLCA Nexus service is a centralized online repository providing access to a vast collection of Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) and Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) datasets. It aggregates data from major global providers, including ecoinvent, GaBi, and the ELCD, to offer harmonized datasets optimized for seamless integration with openLCA software.

The platform features a robust search engine and mapping tools that allow users to filter over 300,000 datasets by geographical region, industrial sector, product category, and year of validity, effectively bridging the gap between disparate data sources and modeling software.

These databases are in the OpenLCA format but can be used in other LCA softwares with some adaptation.

Note that while some of these databases are free of charge, registration is a must.

In manufacturing and engineering, professionals must utilize such datasets to model complex supply chains, optimize resource efficiency, and perform material selection via specialized libraries like thisIDEMAT (“Industrial Design & Engineering MATerials” database). Teams apply the peer-reviewed inventory data to validate the sustainability of emerging technologies, execute eco-design iterations, and quantify circularity through life cycle sustainability assessments. Quality and compliance specialists leverage the standardized impact methods to generate Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and ensure adherence to international regulatory frameworks such as EN 15804.

Disciplines: Life cycle assessment, Environmental engineering, Sustainability, Product design, Manufacturing, Energy.

Free alternative to ecoinvent, Sphera LCA for Experts, SimaPro.

Life Cycle Assessment Databases compared with ecoinvent, Sphera LCA for Experts and SimaPro
Life Cycle Assessment Databases (openLCA Nexus)	ecoinvent	Sphera LCA for Experts	SimaPro
Type of offering: openLCA Nexus is an online repository run by GreenDelta that makes LCA data from several providers available in one place. It is not a single database but a catalogue.	Type of offering: ecoinvent is one life cycle inventory database from a single organisation, updated annually, with version 3.12 listed on its site.	Type of offering: GaBi was acquired by Sphera in 2019, and its software is now called Sphera LCA for Experts and developed into the LCA for Experts software. Its content is now sold as Sphera Managed LCA Content (MLC, formerly GaBi).	Type of offering: SimaPro is LCA software, available as desktop and cloud editions, that gives access to inventory datasets and LCIA methods. It is part of the One Click LCA group.
Dataset volume: The manual states roughly 300,000 datasets across all databases. Filters cover provider, location, category, price and year of validity.	Dataset volume: The site states more than 26,000 datasets covering a range of sectors.	Dataset volume: The Sphera database site lists 20,000 annually updated datasets, with yearly releases such as the 2026 databases.	Dataset volume: The vendor states 250k+ datasets and about 40 LCIA methods in one platform.
Licence and cost model: Some databases are free and others must be bought. Users register, add a licence to the cart, and accept the EULA before download.	Licence and cost model: Access requires a licence of type Single-User, Developer, Educational or Enterprise. Prices are on a separate pricing overview page.	Licence and cost model: Some content is sold by subscription, for example the 2026 MLC databases. A 45 day free trial of LCA for Experts is offered through a form.	Licence and cost model: Plans are listed as Commercial, Education and Enterprise. The vendor page does not state prices or licence terms.
Formats and integration: Files are downloaded as zip archives, with a choice of format when offered (JSON-LD, ILCD and methods packages are mentioned). They are meant for openLCA, as noted in the record, and need adaptation elsewhere.	Formats and integration: The site mentions an ecoinvent API and the ecoQuery web login. Supported data formats are not given on the page consulted.	Formats and integration: Content is used inside Sphera LCA for Experts. Export formats are not stated on the page consulted.	Formats and integration: Datasets are used inside SimaPro itself. One partner testimonial on the vendor site describes combining it with ecoinvent.

Topics covered: Life Cycle Assessment, LCA, Life Cycle Inventory, LCI, Life Cycle Impact Assessment, LCIA, openLCA, datasets, sustainability, Environmental Product Declarations, EPDs, eco-design, circularity, resource efficiency, supply chains, standardized impact methods, EN 15804, and thisIDEMAT..