Indicator systeem eco-cost

Learn about the topic of sustainability impact metrics and
eco-cost data to enable “Fast Track” LCA calculations,
and True Cost Accounting.

Eco-costs may also be applied to the Environmental Footprint of products, ERP systems, and company sustainability reporting incl. scope 3.

Learn more

The Model of the Eco-costs / Value Ratio

The primary purpose of this website is to provide students of the Delft University of Technology, as well as SMEs (and big corporations) with:

IDEMAT excel tables with practical data for LCA, to assess the reduced eco-burden of innovation in products and services
explanation of a prevention based “single indicator” for LCA: the method of the eco-costs
monetizing Environmental Footprint calculations, EPDs, and environmental reporting
knowledge on the subject of “eco-efficiency”, “E/E factors”, and how to apply them to product innovation and circular business strategies.
practical data in IDEMAT excel tables (with eco-costs and carbon footprint) for True Cost Accounting, GHG protocol reporting including scope 3, annual sustainability reporting.

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). This two-dimensional 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, as well as the issues of Natural and Social capital in True Cost Accounting.

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. See downloads.
The Idemat2022 data are open access (CC-BY); the calculations are in compliance with the ISO 140040, 140044, EN15804, and the LCA handbook of the ILCD. The eco-costs indicator system is in compliance with ISO 14008.
NEW: worldwide electricity data of 218 countries plus the 26 electricity regions in the US, 44 provinces in India, 13 provinces of Canada and 31 provinces in China, based on the most recent emission data (and therefore more accurate that Ecoinvent and Gabi LCIs.

The IdematLightLCA app

The Idemat App for Materials Selection, available for IOS and Android, has been developed to facilitate designers and engineers with their choices on materials. It is based on the Idemat data.
The IdematLightLCA App enables even Full LCA calculations, and shows the advantage of the circular economy.
See for a description of these apps the description and background information at this site, with two instruction videos, and with information how to download. Fairphone users who want avoid Google, find here a click to download the aps as well.

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