Note! This article is only applicable when using the default SimaPro Professional database. We also provide the ecoinvent allocation, cut-off EN15804 system model as an additional data library that is fully compliant with ISO 14025, ISO 21930 and EN15804+A2:2019. This additional data library also comes with a method that facilitates calculating the EN 15804+A2 impact assessment and life cycle inventory indicators in one go.
The EN 15804 standard covers Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) of Construction Products. The 2019 A2 revision of this standard has aligned their methodology to a large extent with the EU recommended Environmental Footprint method.
In the Professional database of SimaPro desktop (and in the generic data library of SimaPro Flow), we offer the 'EN 15804 + A2' impact assessment method, which can be used to all LCIA categories. However, there is currently no method in SimaPro to calculate the non-LCIA parameters / indicators of EN 15804 for various reasons, such as that they are less well defined and you cannot automatically calculate them all. For instance, the calculation of non-LCIA indicators where usage as raw material is involved (like PENRE, PERE, PENRM and PERM) cannot be fully automated because the distinction between energy resources input used as raw material or energy resources input used for energy generation is not made in the processes. If, for example, oil goes in your aggerated process for plastic production, it will partly be used as raw material and partly for energy generation.
As a workaround in SimaPro, you can create your own impact assessment method by combining impact categories from other methods (simply by using CTRL+C and CTRL+V). Alternatively, you can add your own by creating new flows for those indicators, adding the information to your model, and then finally creating a method that will add up this information through the model. Please refer to this article or this webinar recording for further information on creating your own method.
In the tables below, we offer some guidance for EN15804 EPDs based on our interpretation of the EN15804 + A2. Please note this is only meant to serve as a helpful starting point. The first two columns list the required parameters or indicators as in de EN 15804+A2 (only different headers compared to EN15804+A1:2012), in addition to the unit. The column Abbreviation is not included in EN 15804, but these abbreviations are commonly used. The last column shows our guidance.
Table 6 - Parameters describing resource use
Parameter (EN 15804) | Unit | Abbreviation | Guidance |
Use of renewable primary energy excluding renewable primary energy resources used as raw materials | MJ, net calorific value | PERE | =PERT-PERM |
Use of renewable primary energy resources used as raw materials | MJ, net calorific value | PERM | For PERM and PENRM impact categories, certain materials like wood, paper are allocated to PERM and materials like Nylon, Rubber, etc. are allocated to PENRM. In order to calculate this impact categories, their lower heating values (LHV) are obtained from www.phyllis.nl. When materials are added, the heating value is added as a positive substance and when they leave the system through incineration, the same amount of heating values are subtracted. |
Total use of renewable primary energy resources (primary energy and primary energy resources used as raw materials) | MJ, net calorific value | PERT | PERT is calculated by addition of all 'Renewable, ...' and 'Non-renewable, biomass' indicators from Cumulative Energy Demand LHV. |
Use of non-renewable primary energy excluding non- renewable primary energy resources used as raw materials | MJ, net calorific value | PENRE | =PENRT-PENRM |
Use of non-renewable primary energy resources used as raw materials | MJ, net calorific value | PENRM | For PERM and PENRM impact categories, certain materials like wood, paper are allocated to PERM and materials like Nylon, Rubber, etc are allocated to PENRM. In order to calculate this impact categories, their lower heating values (LHV) are obtained from www.phyllis.nl. When materials are added, the heating value is added as a positive substance and when they leave the system through incineration, the same amount of heating values are subtracted. |
Total use of non-renewable primary energy resources (primary energy and primary energy resources used as raw materials) | MJ, net calorific value | PENRT | PENRT is calculated by addition of 'Non-renewable, fossil' and 'Non-renewable, nuclear' indicators from Cumulative Energy Demand LHV. |
Use of secondary material | kg | SM | 'Simply' track, in the SimaPro Network, the amount of 'scrap' in each of the ecoinvent processes used. Depending on your LCA focus on certain materials (metals, plastics, etc.). |
Use of renewable secondary fuels | MJ, net calorific value | RSF | No clear data available on this; often simply ignored in existing EPDs. |
Use of non-renewable secondary fuels | MJ, net calorific value | NRSF | No clear data available on this; often simply ignored in existing EPDs. |
Net use of fresh water | m3 | FW | Freshwater indicator from Selected LCI results, additional. |
Table 7 - Other environmental information describing waste categories
Parameter (EN 15804) | Unit | Abbreviation | Guidance |
Hazardous waste disposed | kg | HWD | Hazardous waste and Slags/ashes from EDIP 2003 (superseded in SimaPro 9.5 professional database) |
Non-hazardous waste disposed | kg | NHWD | Bulk waste indicator from EDIP 2003 |
Radioactive waste disposed | kg | RWD | Radioactive waste from EDIP 2003 |
Table 8 - environmental information describing output flows
Indicator (EN 15804) | Unit | Abbreviation | Guidance |
Components for re-use | kg | CRU | In most cases, it is zero. |
Materials for recycling | kg | MFR | Tracking materials that are sent to recycling at the end of life. |
Materials for energy recovery | kg | MER | Tracking in the Network the quantities that leave the boundaries of the system and go to incineration with energy recovery. If you consider incineration within your boundaries, then you should declare Exported Energy and not MER. |
Exported energy | MJ per energy carrier | EEE (electrical), EET (thermal) | In the incineration of waste, there is description in ecoinvent which lists the amount of electricity and heat generated from the incineration process. So, the characterization factors for each incineration process were simply the actual amounts of electricity (EEE) and heat (EET) that were generated for a particular incineration process. So, these values have to be entered manually. |