GaBi Databases
Summary
Name of source GaBi Databases
Provider Sphera Solutions GmbH
Summary text With 15,000 plans and processes, built from several times as many unit process instances and to a large extent based on primary data collection during our global work with companies, associations and public bodies, GaBi is the leading product sustainability solution for Life Cycle Assessment with over 10,000 users globally. This includes around half of the Fortune 500 companies, many leading industry associations, but also SMEs and numerous research institutions. Countless companies use GaBi quality data for calculating their GHG protocol results. All individual datasets are coherent due to consistent methods and boundaries in their development. Besides GHG protocol compatibility, GaBi data is compliant to ISO 14040/44 and the EU Commission’s ILCD DN entry-level requirements. Sphera provides in addition the majority of the official EU Commission’s Environmental Footprint databases EF 2.0 and 3.0, available also for your use. Around 2000 free-of-charge datasets are available for download. GaBi has a unique annual upgrade program: every year, all contents in the GaBi LCA Databases are fully refreshed, providing you with the most current Life Cycle Inventory data and impact methodologies.
Contact Dr. Ulrike Bos, gabi-data@sphera.com
Licensing Partly free, partly with a license fee
Language(s) English, German
Website https://www.gabi-software.com/
Access – data formats and accessibility
File type Specific database file format
Software needs Per default GaBi Software. Datasets from all major sectors in extraordinary detail and depth
Contents – breadth and depth of datasets
Age Since 1989; Since 2013 yearly updated, plus one interim mid-year release
Geography Default mainly EU, US, DE; large share also for FR, JP, CN, IT, ES,  SE, BR. Any specific geography on request
Original Data Source(s) Several hundred from companies, associations, patents and technical literature, R&D projects, EPDs
Other Databases Included Many association databases, USLCI, ecoinvent
Life cycle stages Any, but predominantly production (cradle to gate) and EOL/transport (gate to gate); many parameterized datasets and models
Modeling approach Attributional
Emissions results Full range LCI, with all major LCIA Impact methods already included
Number of datasets 15,000; any datasets can be developed on demand
Main topics Agriculture & forestry & renewables, Building & construction, Chemicals & materials, Consumer goods, Electronics & electrical & ICT, Energy & utilities, Food & beverage, Healthcare & life sciences, Industrial products & machines, Metals & minerals & mining, Plastics, Service sector, Specialties, Textiles, Transport and storage, End-of-Life recycling & energy recovery & landfilling
Other topics Extensive documentation on basis of ILCD format, public and free - see: https://www.gabi-software.com/international/databases/gabi-data-search/
Data transparency – what meta data is provided for each dataset?
System boundaries Various, see documentation
Data Types Various, see documentation
Allocation Methods Various, see documentation
Technology Various, see documentation
Data year Yearly checked and updated if needed; last update in February 2020
Original source Several hundred from companies, associations, patents and technical literature, BAT/BREF documents, R&D projects, EPDs
Uncertainty Data quality indicators implemented according to established standards for technology, geography, actuality, completeness
Quality – is information provided on data quality?
Data quality score See documentation, predominantly “good” (2) to “very good” (1, best possible)
Quality assurance Dekra audited quality and continuous improvement process, see https://www.gabi-software.com/uploads/media/Critical_review_by_DEKRA_2014.pdf; internal QA process, various external review projects
Standards compliant GHG, ISO 14040/44, EN 15804+A2, ILCD DN entry level, subset of data: EF 2.0 and 3.0