About
IMPACT World+
IMPACT World+ is the outcome of a joint effort to update IMPACT 2002+, EDIP and LUCAS Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) Methods.
A globally regionalized method for life cycle impact assessment (LCIA)
IMPACT World+ is a globally regionalized method for life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), integrating multiple state-of-the-art developments within a consistent framework. It characterizes thousands of substances which impacts have been spatially and temporally differentiated when relevant.
The method is based on a midpoint-damage framework : it features indicators at an intermediate position of the impact pathways (e.g. Climate change, short term) and damage indicators which contribute to the ultimate societal concern (e.g., Ecosystem quality). At present, 24 midpoint indicators, 46 damage indicators and 2 areas of protection are integrated, covering a total of 15 environmental issues.
Three distinct complementary versions are available to present an LCIA profile and allow different levels of interpretation.
The aggregation of damage indicators to only two areas of protection facilitate interpretation while keeping detailed and transparent results, but are more uncertain.
Midpoint indicators provide more precise, but less easy-to-interpret results.
The selected indicators facilitate interpretation but is a simplification of the overall framework.
IMPACT World+ provides one of the most comprehensive assessments of environmental issues among available LCIA methods. It also offers distinctive features that enable multiple approaches to interpret LCIA results. The method is regularly updated with consistency and harmonization across impact categories with the latest developments in the LCIA.
IMPACT World+ Framework
Funding partners
