ORLCA: A concept for an open-source Life Cycle Assessment repository built for research

2025/09/10 by Hannah Wakeling, Wakeling, Hannah, K. Lohwasser +3
Computer Science · Decision Sciences · Environmental Science · #Environmental Impact and Sustainability #FOS: Physical sciences #High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex) #Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM) #Physics and Society (physics.soc-ph) #Research Data Management Practices #Scientific Computing and Data Management

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2509.08901

openalex publication_date 2025/09/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a tool to account for the full range of environmental impacts of resource use in commodities or services is a first step in reducing these impacts. There is an increasing necessity to account for these aspects in the planning, running and end-of-life of scientific experiments and research infrastructure. In the following, the concept for an Open Research Life Cycle Assessment (ORLCA) repository is presented to support this endeavour. It is designed to comply fully with the principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR).

Citations

• Input to European Strategy Update for Particle Physics: Sustainability
• Life Cycle Assessment of the Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit
• Life Cycle Analysis of the GRAND Experiment
• Climate Change 2021 – The Physical Science Basis

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