Windfeld Jensen Co.
Project

LCA Compass

A web-based screening-LCA service that lets small businesses and product developers without LCA expertise perform their own ISO 14040/14044-based lifecycle assessment, and receive finished PDF documentation with concrete improvement recommendations.

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About the product

Why we built LCA Compass

Many small businesses, founders, and product teams know that lifecycle assessment matters, but do not know how to perform one, cannot afford external consultants (often DKK 50,000 to 200,000 per study), and lack the time to work through ISO 14040/14044 in depth.

The result is design decisions made without lifecycle data, and sustainability claims that become marketing rather than substance. E-waste and resource impact grow when producers cannot see the long-term consequences of material, production, and end-of-life choices.

Windfeld Jensen Co. built LCA Compass to close that gap: a guided digital service that translates the ISO framework into a practical workflow for teams who need documented analysis, not just good intentions.

What LCA Compass is

LCA Compass is a guided web service that turns the ISO 14040/14044 framework into a step-by-step process. Users create a product project, enter lifecycle data phase by phase, answer ISO-based questions in plain language, and receive dashboards, scenario comparisons, improvement recommendations, and exportable PDF documentation.

The platform supports four ambition levels, from internal screening to EPD-ready output, so teams can start simple and grow into more formal documentation as requirements increase.

Typical workflow:

  • Define goal, functional unit, and system boundaries
  • Enter raw materials, production, distribution, use, and end-of-life
  • Review impact categories and lifecycle hotspots
  • Compare alternative scenarios (e.g. material A vs material B)
  • Export ISO-structured PDF reports with assumptions logged
Regulatory context

EU Digital Product Passport and upcoming requirements

The EU is rolling out the Digital Product Passport (DPP) as part of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). The passport is built on lifecycle thinking and LCA methodology. Products must be able to document environmental impact across their lifecycle, not just in marketing claims.

For many manufacturers, this is no longer optional positioning. It is becoming a structural requirement for market access, procurement, and credible sustainability communication.

LCA Compass is designed for exactly this shift: it helps teams structure product data according to ISO 14040/14044, identify hotspots, document assumptions transparently, and export reports that can support EPD work, carbon footprint reporting, and the underlying lifecycle documentation that DPP initiatives depend on.

The goal is not to replace specialist LCA consultants for every use case, but to give product teams a practical starting point before regulation, customers, or investors ask for documented proof.

What the regulatory shift means in practice:

  • Documented lifecycle data becomes a product requirement, not a nice-to-have
  • Screening-LCA helps teams act early, before full EPD or third-party review
  • Transparent assumptions and ISO structure reduce risk in public claims
  • Export formats support EPD, carbon footprint, and compliance workflows

Who it is for

LCA Compass is built for teams who need credible lifecycle documentation without hiring a full-time LCA specialist.

Primary users include:

  • Small product companies documenting environmental claims for customers
  • Founders launching physical products who need answers from day one
  • Product developers comparing design alternatives with data
  • Buyers comparing supplier lifecycle performance

Core capabilities

LCA Compass combines guided data collection, automated impact analysis, and professional documentation in one platform.

Guided ISO-based input

Users are guided through ISO 14040's four phases (Goal & Scope, LCI, LCIA, and Interpretation) with plain-language explanations, adaptive questions by product type, and built-in templates for functional unit, reference flow, and system boundaries.

Automatic impact overview

Input is consolidated into impact categories such as CO₂-eq, e-waste, resource use, water consumption, waste quality, and end-of-life. Dashboards show where hotspots sit across the lifecycle, with sensitivity analysis and side-by-side scenario comparison.

PDF documentation and recommendations

Reports follow ISO 14044 structure: goal, scope, LCI, LCIA, interpretation, and conclusion. The platform surfaces improvement suggestions based on hotspots, logs missing data and assumptions for transparency, and exports PDFs ready for sustainability reporting, EPD preparation, or stakeholder communication.

Standards and compliance levels

LCA Compass is built around internationally recognised LCA standards, not ad hoc spreadsheets. Supported frameworks include ISO 14040/14044, ISO 14025 (EPD), ISO 14067 (product carbon footprint), ISO 14071 (critical review), and related reporting formats.

Extended modules cover advanced goal & scope, LCI data quality (pedigree matrix), LCIA method selection (ReCiPe, CML, TRACI, EF 3.1), sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, critical review workflows, compliance checking, and multi-format export.

Four ambition levels:

  • Screening: ISO 14044 structure with assumptions for internal design decisions
  • Detailed LCA: full ISO 14040/14044 compliance for B2B documentation
  • Critical reviewed LCA: ISO 14071 review for public comparative claims
  • Verified EPD: ISO 14025 + PCR for formal environmental declarations

What makes it different

Professional LCA software such as SimaPro or GaBi delivers deep quantitative analysis but requires expertise and significant licensing cost. Consultants deliver tailored studies but at high price and long lead times. Excel templates are free but error-prone, with no validation or sensitivity analysis. Carbon calculators are fast but usually cover only CO₂, without ISO compliance or formal reporting.

LCA Compass targets the gap between those options: accessible screening-LCA with ISO structure, built-in validation, scenario comparison, and exportable documentation for teams who need to start now.

Technology

Built on modern, scalable infrastructure

LCA Compass is developed as a full-stack web application with a guided wizard, authenticated workspaces, PDF generation, and verifiable document IDs for exported reports.

Technology stack:

  • Next.js and React: web application and marketing site
  • TypeScript: type-safe business logic and LCA calculations
  • Prisma: data model for products, studies, and reports
  • NextAuth: authentication and user sessions
  • Recharts: impact dashboards and lifecycle visualisations
  • Handlebars: ISO-structured PDF report templates
  • Render: hosting, deployment, and production infrastructure
  • Internationalisation: Danish and English throughout the platform

Interested in LCA Compass?

Whether you want to explore the platform, discuss a pilot, or learn how LCA documentation can support your product strategy, we are happy to talk.

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