The openLCA format converter was the first plugin and "piece" to be developed for the openLCA framework; we started working on it since end of 2006, with a release in April and August 2007.

What is it?

Idea of the format converter is to provide a tool that is able to convert the different existing data formats for Life Cycle Assessment from one format into the other with as little information loss as possible. In this way the converter overcomes the often political and sometimes pointless discussions about LCA data formats by providing a technical tool for a smooth format conversion so that in the end, the data formats is not any more a fundamental point of "Weltanschauung", but a mere technical detail.

A detail which in the end has as much importance as how exactly your electrical plug is formed (given that the producers of electric equipment could not agree on one specfic outlet).

We released a first version of the format converter in 2007, in two steps: very first release was April 2007, second improved release was August 2007. The format converter was released as free, open source software, and it is available at a sourceforge site, www.sourceforge.net/projects/openlca.

The first converter version implements the following formats:

• EcoSpold (version 1), by the Swiss ecoinvent centre;
• ELCD 1.0.1, by the Joint research centre of the European Commission
• ISO14048/IMI, by Chalmers university

It supports conversion to and from each of these formats, which are each very different from each other (although all formats implement and follow ISO 14048).

We were glad to receive partial financial support for the converter, from PE International, PRé Consultants, and UNEP.