A Graph-Based Tool for Navigating Life Cycle Assessment Standards in Product Carbon Footprinting
Schneider A, Funk F, Helm K, Reichenstein T, Jäger FA, Franke J (2026)
Publication Type: Conference contribution, Conference Contribution
Publication year: 2026
Journal
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages Range: 181-188
Conference Proceedings Title: Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering
Event location: Bologna, ITA
ISBN: 9783032211569
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-21157-6_21
Abstract
The proliferation of standards, protocols and norms in the field of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) poses a major challenge for users seeking appropriate guidance for Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) studies. This paper presents a graph-based tool developed in Python using Pyvis to integrate and visualize this vast network of LCA standards. The interactive ESTAINIUM Standards Graph maps the relationships between the standards as nodes and edges and allows the user to filter by attributes such as scope, industry sector and geographical validity. Three important PCF standards are the central nodes of the graph: the GHG Protocol Product Standard, ISO 14067:2018 and EN 15804 for environmental product declarations. The results show that an interactive visualization significantly simplifies the search for the complex, interlinked standards and supports both decision-making and learning in the LCA community. This approach complements ongoing efforts to harmonize LCA/PCF methodologies, and the graph-based tool has been shown to be a fundamental reference for simplifying the identification of standards and improving understanding through a visual, interactive system.
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Schneider, A., Funk, F., Helm, K., Reichenstein, T., Jäger, F.A., & Franke, J. (2026). A Graph-Based Tool for Navigating Life Cycle Assessment Standards in Product Carbon Footprinting. In Holger Kohl, Günther Seliger, Franz Dietrich, Giampaolo Campana (Eds.), Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering (pp. 181-188). Bologna, ITA: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH.
MLA:
Schneider, Alexander, et al. "A Graph-Based Tool for Navigating Life Cycle Assessment Standards in Product Carbon Footprinting." Proceedings of the 21st Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, GCSM 2025, Bologna, ITA Ed. Holger Kohl, Günther Seliger, Franz Dietrich, Giampaolo Campana, Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2026. 181-188.
BibTeX: Download