Indicator systeem ecocost

Learn about the topic of sustainability and
eco-cost data to enable “Fast Track” LCA calculations.

The Model of the Eco-costs / Value Ratio

The primary purpose of this website is to provide students of the Delft University of Technology (and other people who are interested in the subject of sustainablility) with:

practical data to assess the eco-burden of their designs (assisting them with LCA calculations)
explanation of a prevention based “single indicator” for LCA: the method of the eco-costs
knowledge on the subject of “eco-efficiency”, “E/E factors”, and how to apply them to de-link economy and ecology
concepts of business strategies and governmental policies with regard to sustainability, and decision support tools on these issues.

The design stage

The EVR is an E/E indicator which can be applied in cases where a designer (architect, product engineer, marketing manager, etc.) is asked to design a product (a house, a road, an appliance, a service, etc.) within a given price (budget). The issue then is to create maximum value for the end-user at a minimum of eco-costs (environmental burden). The calculation model can not only be applied in the stage were the design is ready (the classic LCA approach), but can also be applied in the early design stages of a feasibility study (when data on costs and market values are estimated). Calculations in combination with LCC and WLC are possible as well.

The theoretical basis

The rather complex issue of “allocation” in Product-Service Systems and in the End of Life phase, has been resolved in a practical and consistent way (where the existing LCA methodology failed until now to provide sufficient practical answers). This makes the system suitable for Cradle to Cradle calculations.
Furthermore the model comprises a system for modelling the issue of land-use and use of water, to be applied in LCA.

The theoretical basis of the model has been published in the Int. J. of LCA and some subsequent publications in J. of Cleaner Production , J. of Sustainable Product Design, Int. J. of Ecodynamics, Sustainability (MDPI), and Energy (MDPI). Text books are available for students (publishers: Delft Academic Press, Delft, The Netherlands).

Databases for calculations

To facilitate calculations, a set of data on the eco-costs is provided in the Excel files at this site (eco-costs for more than 8000 pure substances, materials, processes and services). These data are also available in databases for Simapro and Open LCA.

The IDEMAT App for Materials Selection, available for IOS and Android, has been developed to facilitate designers and engineers with their choices on materials, see wwww.idematapp.com . This app can also be used as a help to find the approptiate data lines in the aforementioned Excel Files. For a short instruction video 1 click here

The IdematLightLCA app

An extension of the Idemat App is the IdematLightLCA app which enables Full LCA calculations, and shows the advantage of the circular economy. See for a description of this app the description and background information at this site.
For a short instruction video 2 click here

Lectures and Courses

There are various sources at this website for training:

Students can download videos of lectures
Teachers can download power point sheets and excel examples

A special course (a mini-MOOC, called Innomat) is available for designers, architects, and business managers. This course has been developed for the EIT Raw Materials Academy. The course comprises:

3 blocks LCA (introduction, calculation system and tools, cradle-to-cradle): participants can make a “Fast Track” LCA, to check the environmental impact of a product or service
1 block on the issue of Critical Raw Materials (what is it, what is the business risk, and how to calculate it in LCA)
1 block on the issue of developing a circular business model by business model canvas
1 block on eco-efficient value creation in product innovation (how to create a product that is green, and has at the same time a higher value than existing products on the market)

Joost Vogtländer

The relevance of all the abovementioned models, books, and tools in terms of sustainable business strategies (in the circular economy), as well as the relevance for designers and engineers, is explaind by Joost Vogtländer in the following interviews:

A. video 1 (english dubbing) on the eco-costs and sustainability in business (English). Dutch version
B. video 2 (english dubbing) on eco-efficient value creation in the circular economy (English). Dutch version

Bibliography