Table 3.
Quality of the information used in an LCA study (adapted from [18]) and in the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) of the ICB studied in this paper (adapted from [5]).
| Scale | Confidence | Integrity | Temporal Correlation | Geographic Correlation | Technological Correlation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verified a data and based on measurements b | Data representing sufficient c number of companies over a period that enables the elimination of fluctuations | Maximum difference of 3 years from the year under study | Data from the region under study | Data from the company under study |
| 2 | Partially verified data and based on hypothesis d, or not verified but based on measurements | Data representing a small number of companies, but for appropriate periods | Less than 6 years difference | Average data from a region larger than that under study, but including it | Data from the same processes/materials but from other companies |
| 3 | Unverified data and partially based on hypothesis | Data representing a suitable number of companies, but for short periods | Maximum difference of 10 years | Data from a region with similar production conditions | Data from the same processes/materials but from a different technology |
| 4 | Verified or qualified estimations (produced by experts) | Representative data, but from a small number of companies and from short periods, or incomplete data from a suitable number of companies and period durations | Difference less than 15 years | Data from a region with production conditions with some similarities | Data from similar processes/materials but analogous technology |
| 5 | Neither verified nor qualified data estimations | Unknown representativeness, or incomplete data from a small number of companies and/or short periods | Unknown age of data or difference more than 15 years | Data from an unknown region, or from a region with very different production conditions | Data from similar processes/materials but different technology |
| Company that produces ICB (1.6) | 2—Unverified (but including a visit to the production line), but based on measurements | 2—One company and a two-year period; market share (%)—most important company in the national market | 2—2008 and 2010 | 1 | 1 |
a Data can be verified by comparison with original documents, by repeating the calculations, by comparison with other sources, by material or energy balances, etc.; b Experimental measurement techniques must be described in the report; c In order to be statistically representative, data need not be complete. However, the chosen sample must be randomly chosen and be of an appropriate size to be reproducible and truly reflect the characteristics of the whole population; d The considered hypothesis in the collection of inventory data must also be specified in the report.