Characterisation and normalisation factors

Perspectives

Each method (midpoint, endpoint) contains factors according to the three Cultural Perspectives. These perspective represent a set of choices on isssues like time perspective or expectations that proper management or future technology development can avoid future damages.

• Individualist: short term, optimism that technology can avoid many problems in future.
• Hierarchist: Consensus model, as often encountered in scientific models, this is often considered to be the default model.
• Egalitarian: long term based on precautionary principle thinking.

Reference

The Information in this method and these files may be used, provided you always give a reference to its origin and the download date.

We suggest you use the following reference:

ReCiPe Mid/Endpoint method, version November 2009

Updates

The method was last updated in october 2009 and does not contain any known errors. There is however always the possibility that new errors will be found.

We are working on an implementation in the EULCIA format, but as this has not completely finished, this could take some time.

If updates to the ReCiPe method are available, this will be posted on the LCA Discussion list, you can subscribe here

Carbon Uptake

Please note that in The ReCiPe method we changed the way we deal with Carbon uptake. In SimaPro we do take the uptake of biotic CO2 plus the release of this carbon into account, just as this was done in ecoinvent up to version 1.2. Ecoinvent changed this and now ignores the uptake, but also does not include the release of biotic CO2 and CO. We follow the latter principle in ReCiPe, and soon we will use this principle in all SimaPro methods. For a cradle to grave LCA the result is the same, for a cradle to gate it is not.

Import instructions 

SimaPro users with a valid service contract received an update which includes the most recent ReCiPe methods. It is recommended to apply that update.

If you have previously imported the ReCiPe method (from this website) you cannot update this method due to the deletion of two empty impact categories in this update. If this is the case please open the methods project, go to the methods section and remove or rename all existing ReCiPe methods before performing the update.

1. Download the ReCiPe103.zip file and open it.
2. Extract the files to the folder where your regular (starter or professional) database is stored, usually this is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\SimaPro\Database (Win XP).
3. Create a backup of your existing database using one of the following three options:
• make a zip of all 77 *.NX1 files from the above named folder, OR
• copy these files to a different location OR
• alternatively use simaPro's backup function (File>Database Management> backup)
4. Open  SimaPro.
5. Open your existing database (if it isn't opened already). This is the database in which you want to use the ReCiPe method, it usually is called "Professional" or "Starter".
   
6. Go to File> Import SimaPro database.
   
7. Click browse and select the recipe102 database.
8. Click select all.
9. Click import.