Fig. 1.

Updated LCIA framework. The lists of impact categories (on midpoint and damage level) are not complete and are meant to be indicative. Impact characterization models can link the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) to midpoint impact level (column 2, black dashed lines) and stop there or continue to damage level (column 3, solid black lines), or they can go directly from the life cycle inventory (LCI) to damage level (column 3, grey, dotted line). Similar to midpoint modeling, damage modeling is based on natural science and involves assumptions and choices but is not a weighting step. Note that damage categories are available on a disaggregated level (e.g. climate change, land impacts), or they can be aggregated into overarching categories (column 4, colored lines for existing areas of protection, grey lines for not yet operational ones), if wished. Areas of protection that are operational are indicated with colors, those that are not yet fully operational are shown in the grey box. Weighting of damage category scores may include normalization and is an optional step (in grey) distinct from the damage modeling. Normalization and weighting can also be performed on midpoint impact indicator level.