Methods and Models
Explore the 3 key Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods businesses actually use – EF 3.1, IPCC 2021, and ReCiPe 2016, plus allocation frameworks like EN 15804 and consequential modelling.
Why Sustainly Focuses on 3 Proven LCA Methods
After speaking with hundreds of specialists, we saw the same pattern: while databases like Ecoinvent list 40+ options, in practice companies are aligning around just a few. That's why we give you the ones that matter most
Methods you'll see
EF 3.1 Environmental Footprint🌍
IPCC 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change♻️
ReCiPe 2016🧪
Methods at a glance
| Method | Focus | Indicators | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| EF 3.1 | Multi-indicator across climate, human health, nature | 16 | Normalisation and weighting |
| IPCC 2021 | Carbon footprint detail | >30 | Short and long term GWP view |
| ReCiPe 2016 | Understandable, comparable analyses | 18 | Endpoints: health, ecosystems, resources |
Allocation Methods and Frameworks
As if the variability of different methodologies were not enough, you also have to consider which allocation method and framework to use.
Attributional modelling (the raw contribution).
Most common for product studies and used to create both EPDs and PEFs. It totals the direct contribution of all lifecycle stages (e.g., wheat → milling → baking → delivery for a loaf of bread).
Consequential modelling (measuring context).
Used more in academic and large-scale analyses. Looks at system-wide effects and market dynamics (e.g., assessing a solar park’s effect on the electricity market, not only its added emissions).
Frameworks supported.
Sustainly supports cut-off, EN 15804, and consequential allocation. EN 15804 (for European EPDs) notably credits future recycling in how waste is modelled.
Why these methods matter
While different methodologies vary in their specific indicators, LCAs look beyond CO₂e and typically consider impacts on nature, human health, and resources. ReCiPe’s endpoints, in particular, make effects tangible by expressing damage to human health, ecosystems, and resource availability.
