Understanding environmental impacts is essential for building a more sustainable and circular economy. However, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data are often complex and difficult to interpret, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises that may lack specialised expertise.

To address this challenge, researchers from IRIS Technology Solutions, CETENMA, Next Technology Tecnotessile and YAGHMA have developed a set of digital tools within the BIORADAR project that make environmental assessment data easier to access, understand and use.

Their work has now been published in Applied Sciences under the title: “Online Digital Tools for Expert Assisted Self-Evaluation of Environmental Impact: Benchmarking, Synthetic Data Generation and Advanced Analytics Based on Use Case Life Cycle Assessment”.

Making environmental data more accessible

The tools were developed to help users explore and interpret Life Cycle Assessment results obtained from BIORADAR's case studies in three key sectors: fertilizers, textiles and packaging.

Through a web-based platform, users can access environmental data from the project's use cases, upload their own information and compare their performance against use cases which represent best practices. This allows companies to better understand where improvements can be made and identify opportunities to reduce their environmental footprint.

Going beyond benchmarking

The platform offers much more than simple comparisons. It combines several advanced analytical approaches to provide users with deeper insights into their data.

Benchmarking environmental performance

Environmental indicators are calculated using the Environmental Footprint methodology and can be used to compare bio-based approaches with conventional alternatives. Users can assess both individual impact categories and overall sustainability scores.

Generating realistic synthetic datasets

Because access to large amounts of environmental data is often limited, the platform includes algorithms capable of generating synthetic datasets that preserve the statistical properties of real data. This helps overcome confidentiality and data availability barriers while enabling more robust analyses.

Advanced data analytics

The toolkit incorporates machine learning techniques such as clustering and decision trees to reveal patterns within datasets and support decision-making. These methods provide users with a more comprehensive understanding of environmental performance beyond traditional rankings.

Supporting companies in the transition towards a bio-based economy

By transforming complex LCA results into actionable information, the BIORADAR platform aims to empower companies to evaluate their environmental impacts and support the transition towards more sustainable and circular production systems.

The digital tools can be used with expert guidance through life cycle assessment services in the event that a company feels it lacks the necessary knowledge to interpret environmental impact data.

Two decision-oriented case studies presented in the paper illustrate how the platform can be applied in realistic settings and how the combination of benchmarking and advanced analytics can support more informed sustainability strategies.

Read the publication

Online Digital Tools for Expert Assisted Self-Evaluation of Environmental Impact: Benchmarking, Synthetic Data Generation and Advanced Analytics Based on Use Case Life Cycle Assessment