Sphera

With 15,000 plans and processes, built from several times as many unit process instances and to a large extent based on primary data collection during our global work with companies, associations and public bodies, GaBi is the leading product sustainability solution for Life Cycle Assessment with over 10,000 users globally. 

See GHG Protocol Disclaimer at the bottom of the listing for terms and limitations.

Summary
Name of source	GaBi Databases
Provider	Sphera Solutions GmbH
Summary text	With 15,000 plans and processes, built from several times as many unit process instances and to a large extent based on primary data collection during our global work with companies, associations and public bodies, GaBi is the leading product sustainability solution for Life Cycle Assessment with over 10,000 users globally. This includes around half of the Fortune 500 companies, many leading industry associations, but also SMEs and numerous research institutions. Countless companies use GaBi quality data for calculating their GHG protocol results. All individual datasets are coherent due to consistent methods and boundaries in their development. Besides GHG protocol compatibility, GaBi data is compliant to ISO 14040/44 and the EU Commission’s ILCD DN entry-level requirements. Sphera provides in addition the majority of the official EU Commission’s Environmental Footprint databases EF 2.0 and 3.0, available also for your use. Around 2000 free-of-charge datasets are available for download. GaBi has a unique annual upgrade program: every year, all contents in the GaBi LCA Databases are fully refreshed, providing you with the most current Life Cycle Inventory data and impact methodologies.
Contact	Dr. Ulrike Bos, [e-mail]
Licensing	Partly free, partly with a license fee
Language(s)	English, German
Website	https://www.gabi-software.com/

Access – data formats and accessibility
File type	Specific database file format
Software needs	Per default GaBi Software. Datasets from all major sectors in extraordinary detail and depth

Contents – breadth and depth of datasets
Age	Since 1989; Since 2013 yearly updated, plus one interim mid-year release
Geography	Default mainly EU, US, DE; large share also for FR, JP, CN, IT, ES,  SE, BR. Any specific geography on request
Original Data Source(s)	Several hundred from companies, associations, patents and technical literature, R&D projects, EPDs
Other Databases Included	Many association databases, USLCI, ecoinvent
Life cycle stages	Any, but predominantly production (cradle to gate) and EOL/transport (gate to gate); many parameterized datasets and models
Modeling approach	Attributional
Emissions results	Full range LCI, with all major LCIA Impact methods already included
Number of datasets	15,000; any datasets can be developed on demand
Main topics	Agriculture & forestry & renewables, Building & construction, Chemicals & materials, Consumer goods, Electronics & electrical & ICT, Energy & utilities, Food & beverage, Healthcare & life sciences, Industrial products & machines, Metals & minerals & mining, Plastics, Service sector, Specialties, Textiles, Transport and storage, End-of-Life recycling & energy recovery & landfilling
Other topics	Extensive documentation on basis of ILCD format, public and free - see: https://www.gabi-software.com/international/databases/gabi-data-search/

Data transparency – what meta data is provided for each dataset?
System boundaries	Various, see documentation
Data Types	Various, see documentation
Allocation Methods	Various, see documentation
Technology	Various, see documentation
Data year	Yearly checked and updated if needed; last update in February 2020
Original source	Several hundred from companies, associations, patents and technical literature, BAT/BREF documents, R&D projects, EPDs
Uncertainty	Data quality indicators implemented according to established standards for technology, geography, actuality, completeness

Quality – is information provided on data quality?
Data quality score	See documentation, predominantly “good” (2) to “very good” (1, best possible)
Quality assurance	Dekra audited quality and continuous improvement process, see https://www.gabi-software.com/uploads/media/Critical_review_by_DEKRA_2014.pdf; internal QA process, various external review projects
Standards represented	GHG, ISO 14040/44, EN 15804+A2, ILCD DN entry level, subset of data: EF 2.0 and 3.0

GHG Protocol Disclaimer

This database is listed as an informational resource to assist users in collecting data for product life cycle and corporate value chain (Scope 3) GHG inventories.

Inclusion in this catalogue does not constitute an endorsement, quality assessment, or recommendation by the GHG Protocol. The catalogue is not exhaustive.

Some of the data in these sources may not be consistent with certain GHG Protocol standards. Before using a database, the user should review its documentation for transparency, completeness, and applicability to the GHG inventory for which the data is being collected. For example, a database may contain combustion-only emission factors that are not applicable to product life cycle GHG inventories. Data should also be evaluated using the data quality indicators described in the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard (chapter 7) and the Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard (chapter 8). Users should select the highest-quality data available in the context of business objectives and the principles of relevance, completeness, consistency, transparency, and accuracy. 

The databases included meet the following criteria: 

1. It can be used directly by inventory developers. Databases that require purchasing consulting services or proprietary software solely to access the data are not listed.
2. It has a corresponding website on which users can review source documentation and additional information.
3. It is currently maintained or, if not actively updated, remains accessible and documented at a stable URL.
4. It is offered on terms that allow inventory developers to use the data for product life cycle or Scope 3 inventory purposes (free, paid license, or open are all acceptable; absence of any usable access is not). 
5. Where a database is accessible only on a paid or licensed basis, sufficient public documentation must be available for users to assess applicability before purchasing. At minimum, this requires a publicly accessible methodology description, geographic and sector coverage summary, and pricing or access information (including how to request access). Databases for which this information is not publicly available are not listed.