, – a question-and-answer (Q&A) website on Life Cycle Assessment and also the official support platform for openLCA, openLCA nexus and the LCA Collaboration Server.
openLCA
Stable versions for Windows, macOS, and Linux, development versions (if any), some previous versions, sources, and a changelog for the openLCA LCA and sustainability modeling software are provided below.
Since openLCA 2.0.3 you do not need to download the supplementary UMFPACK library for accelerated calculations. We now include the Intel Math Kernel Library (MKL) which is a highly performant, optimized, and efficient library for mathematical and scientific computations. openLCA 2.0.3 with the previous math libraries can still be downloaded under the Previous tab, within the blas folder.
Release notes for openLCA 2.0 can be found in our blog.
The most recent version (non-beta) is version 2.3.0 from September 30, 2024. For further updates for later versions, please refer to the changelog below.
Note: If the welcome page background is not displayed, delete the ~/openLCA-data-1.4/html folder before relaunching openLCA.
To use openLCA on Windows, download the zip-archive below: Unzip the archive and start openLCA.exe. To uninstall it, delete the created folder. You can have several versions of openLCA in different folders on the same computer.
openLCA 2.3.1 zip-archive: openLCA_Windows_x64.zip
Alternatively, you can install openLCA with the installer below. If you have an older openLCA version installed (via the installer) you should uninstall it first.
openLCA 2.3.1 installer: openLCA_Windows_x64.exe
Download the image disk below and double-click on the DMG file to mount it. Drag the application file (with the.app extension) from the mounted DMG window to your Applications folder.
openLCA 2.3.1 DMG-file: openLCA_macOS_x64.dmg
Extract the ZIP file into your home folder and double-click on the executable to run openLCA (tested on Ubuntu 22.04).
openLCA 2.3.1 tar.gz-archive: openLCA_Linux_x64.tar.gz
2.3.1:
- Bugfix: Corrected conflict identification when merging commits containing changes to datasets that were also changed locally
2.3:
- Support for the newest CS version & improvements of the CS repository view in openLCA,
- A new tool: Parameter analysis (e.g. time modelling), to run calculations over specific parameter ranges,
- More EPD meta-data for better compatibility with ILCD+EPD,
- Better SimaPro CSV import,
- Three new graphical editors’ themes (Nord Light, Nord Dark and Poimandres).
2.2:
- An updated documentation tab in the process editor, now featuring many more fields for ILCD compatibility, including multiple reviews, compliance declarations, and flow completeness.
- An improved ILCD import (also for EPDs),
- A soda4LCA tool for searching and downloading datasets from soda4LCA online databases (see Tools → soda4LCA and
Known hoststhen for pre-configured database connections), - Enhanced internationalization of messages, popups, and labels, increasing coverage by 70%. More translations and additional languages will be added soon.
- Bug fixes: the system should no longer crash due to 0-values in product outputs and waste inputs (e.g., in LCA commons). The validation process will now also detect these flows.
2.1.1:
- LCA Collaboration Server:
- commit empty category,
- bug fixes.
2.1:
- added a new way to calculate and show social indicators,
- bug fixes in model graph for big process systems,
- several UI improvements (dark mode, …),
- ILCD export for GaBi improved, selection of a pre-filled ILCD template to meet GaBi folder requirements in the import,
- CS bug fix: rename of folders error is now corrected.
2.0.4:
- fix and dark mode design for data quality,
- simplified Chinese translation,
- fix number format preferences,
- faster supply chain deletion in the model graph,
- calculation of regionalized LCIA factors:
- validation & automatic correction of geometries,
- testing intersections with locations from the database,
- merge strategies for calculated factors: replace or keep existing factors,
- visualization of generated factors per flow,
- database grouping.
2.0.3:
- integration of the Intel Math Kernel Library (MKL),
- convert error to warning when opening a Model Graph due to CSS parsing,
- fix text overlapping on the welcome page,
- display the name of the active DB,
- bug fixes.
2.0.2:
- handling & support for library links in JSON packages,
- Excel export of results: configuration + upstream results,
- export option with providers for JSON packages,
- advanced export configuration for SimaPro CSV,
- better handling of negative characterization factors when impact direction is set,
- impact analysis of processes: show location codes for regionalized system processes,
- rename global parameters: rename them also in cost-formulas,
- parameter usage: show usage in cost formulas in usage tree,
- ILCD import: internal-ids must start with
1, - library export without inversion (useful for library based databases in cloud services),
- show out-of-memory error when editor crashes for lazy calculations,
- added a function
WeightedMeanProvider.of(ResultProvider)for PSILCA raw-value calculation (script will come soon), - improved dark mode icons.
2.0.1:
- fix on the Sankey diagram (loops),
- fixed a memory leak in the calculation (mainly affects the Monte Carlo simulation),
- “
AND” combines words in the search bar, - remove the process contribution from the report for now as they are available in the project result display,
- fix on the JSON export (multiple global parameters with the same name),
- display direct contributions in the upstream tree,
- updates of the IPC API,
- bug fixes.
For previous versions check the changelog here: /releases/
The current openLCA source code can be found on Github. Older versions are available on sourceforge.
You can find previously released openLCA versions here.
We provide regular unstable builds of the current development version (if any).
Note: This is not a stable openLCA version and should not be used in production. Existing databases can be used with this version but when opening a database with it an update may be executed which is not reversible. Thus, it is highly recommended to back up a database before opening it with this version. Also, there is no database compatibility guaranteed between different development versions. When you used a database with one experimental version it may not work with another. Thus, the best way to test a development version is to take a fresh database from a stable release and upgrade it (but please make a backup first). The folder also contains a document which describes new features and known issues. If you find other issues or errors please let us know, e.g. by creating an issue on GitHub or just sending us an email. Thanks!
LCA Collaboration Server
LCA Collaboration ServerThe LCA Collaboration Server is a server application that complements openLCA (the LCA desktop application). It facilitates exchange and synchronisation of LCA data (e.g. flows, processes, product systems or entire LCA models) between users who work from different computers, enabling distributed, collaborative LCA modelling. The Collaboration Server introduces industry-established concepts from software development to the LCA world, with e.g. on-demand tracking of changes as well as comparison of databases and optional merging of data. It is so far unique. The Collaboration Server is available for free. Support is available on demand. For requesting new features or reporting bugs please refer to our LCA Collaboration Server GitHub log.
Please note that with version 2.3.0 an update from Java 17 to Java 21 is required.
We prepared an installation guide to guide you through the installation process of the LCA Collaboration Server. After the installation you need to update some configurations in the admin area, for this please take a look at the configuration guide.
If you are updating from a previous 2.x release you can follow these update instructions.
Please note that this version of the LCA Collaboration Server can only be used with openLCA version 2.x. For older versions of openLCA please use the previous 1.3.0 release.
If you are upgrading from a 1.3.0 release, please follow the migration guide.
After updating the application, please run a full reindexing of all repositories in the admin area.
LCA Collaboration Server Manual: LCA CS Manual
Impact methods
Impact methodsSeveral impact methods for use in openLCA are available. The methods are provided for free, as openLCA databases, which can be easily imported into openLCA. If you have any comments or would like to submit own methods, please let us know.
Note that newer openLCA LCIA methods, especially the comprehensive 2.0 package for “countrified” databases released April 2018, are available on openLCA Nexus from now on only, here: https://nexus.openlca.org/database/openLCA%20LCIA%20methods.
openLCA LCIA method pack 1.5.7 as openLCA database for openLCA 1.6 (and also 1.7), last update: October 22nd, 2017. The newest methods are also available on the Nexus website.
openLCA LCIA method pack 1.5.6 as database for openLCA 1.5 (zolca file, 23 MB) with normalisation and weighting factors. Last update: February 20th, 2017.
Detailed information on the methods available in the LCIA method pack is available here (pdf, 801 kB). Last update: February 20th, 2017.
A major update was the update of the ILCD 2011 method from version 1.0.5 from February 2013 to version 1.0.10 from August 2016. More information about the update procedure can be found here (pdf, 1.14 MB).
Quality assurance of the implemented methods has been carried out and is available here (pdf, 381 kB).
Older versions of the openLCA LCIA methods:
Database for openLCA 1.4 and 1.5 (zolca file, 19 MB) with normalisation and weighting factors. Last update: March 22nd, 2016. (Detailed information on the methods available in the LCIA method pack is available here (pdf, 757 kB). Last update: March 16th, 2015.)
Database for openLCA 1.3.4 (olca file, 19 MB), with normalisation and weighting factors. This format has not been supported since May of 2014, with the exception of adding the Cumulative Energy Demand method on January 5th, 2015.
EcoSpold01 (zip archive, 12 MB) without normalisation values as the format does not allow this. Last update: March 16th, 2015.
*LCIA method pack for openLCA nexus by Cristina Rodríguez, Michael Srocka, Andreas Ciroth is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Based on work on www.openlca.org and various impact assessment models. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.greendelta.com.
The social LCIA method is available in EcoSpold01 (zip archive, 64 kB).
*LCIA method pack for openLCA nexus by Cristina Rodríguez, Michael Srocka, Andreas Ciroth is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Based on work on www.openlca.org and various impact assessment models. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.greendelta.com.
Download ecoinvent LCIA methods on openLCA Nexus
AWARE is the result of a two-year consensus building process developed by WULCA, a working group of the UNEP SETAC Life Cycle Initiative. AWARE is used for instance within the Environmental Footprint Initiative of the European Commission for Product Environmental Footprints (PEF).
- Download JSON-LD AWARE LCIA for openLCA: Corrected and improved aggregation by GreenDelta
Data quality systems
Data quality systemsSince version 1.6, openLCA supports data quality systems for process data sets and for exchanges (in process data sets). The ecoinvent and PSILCA databases from Nexus are already containing data quality systems, here below a collection of schemas to be used for assessing data quality in a product system calculation in openLCA.
To use, import below packs as JSON-LD into openLCA.
Format converter
Format converteropenLCA converter-3.1.3.zip (unzip and double-click, 5 MB)