Eco indicator 99

The Eco-Indicator 99 is a method that is used to assess the impact of environmental influences over the entire life cycle of a product. The Eco-Indicator 99 expresses the environmental relevance of a product or system in a number of points in the form of an aggregated key figure. The smaller the key figure, the more environmentally friendly the product or product component. The Eco-Indicator 99 meets the requirements of the ISO 14042 standard. The indicator was developed by PRé Consultants on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) from the point of view of the Integrated Product Policy (IPP).

concept

The indicator evaluates the environmental impacts of the material and energy flows of a product or a system over the entire life cycle (cradle-to-grave) in the damage categories human health, ecosystem quality and resource reserves. The Eco-Indicator 99 takes a damage-oriented top-down approach when assessing the impact on the environment.

Damage categories

The Eco-Indicator 99 only takes into account environmental impacts that affect Europe. It is subdivided into the following damage categories.

Human health damage category

Here the effects on the health of current and future generations are considered. This is expressed with the help of DALYs (Disability Adjusted Life Years). Whereby different clinical pictures are considered the z. B. caused by radiation or air pollution.

Damage category ecosystem quality

Species diversity is used as an indicator of ecosystem quality. Here, the percentage of species that are threatened with extinction or have already become extinct in a certain region and period is determined. A distinction is made between ecotoxicity , acidification , eutrophication and land use .

Damage category resource reserve

The focus here is on mineral resources and fossil energy , as other resources are already covered by the damage category ecosystem quality. Since it is assumed that high-quality resources are preferred in extraction, it is assumed that their quality decreases over time and the energy expenditure for extraction increases.

Normalization

Since the three damage categories are measured in different units, they have to be converted into dimensionless weighting factors. These weighting factors were adapted to the ecological framework conditions prevailing in Europe.

Sources of estimation uncertainty

Three different types of uncertainty are considered here. First, an operational uncertainty is considered, which can be caused by technical problems in the various data sets. The second fundamental uncertainty is characterized by the model assumptions, such as B. the data quality or observation periods. The third uncertainty is characterized by the fact that not all interdependencies in nature can be modeled or not known.

Critical appraisal

The Eco-Indicator 99 is based on ISO 14040. All assumptions about the effects and the resulting damage are openly documented and comprehensible. The weighting of the effect on the damage categories is carried out by expert panels and is therefore subjective in nature.

Web links

literature

Goedkoop M., Spriensma, R .: The Eco-indicator 99 - A damage oriented method for Life Cycle Impact Assessment. Methodology Report. Amersfoort 2001, Third edition