What is the IDEA Lab?

The IDEA (Inventory Database for Environmental Analysis) Laboratory was established in April 2017 within the Research Institute of Science for Safety and Sustainability in National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). As a collaborative research group, the IDEA Laboratory conducts projects both independently and across various departments. The primary focus of the lab is to develop the AIST-IDEA, implement technical evaluations, and establish methodologies through international collaborations. It is composed mainly of researchers from the Research Institute of Science for Safety and Sustainability and is involved in research and development.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method used to investigate and compile the materials and energy (inventory data) used throughout the entire life cycle of a product or service, from raw material extraction to final disposal, and quantitatively assess the environmental impact. When conducting an LCA, the inventory database supports the inventory analysis of the product or service being assessed. The inventory database developed at the IDEA Laboratory consists of approximately 5,300 processes related to products and services (IDEA Ver. 3.4), covering nearly all economic activities across businesses in Japan.

*On the notation “AIST-IDEA”
Although on this website, we write “IDEA”, the formal name is “AIST-IDEA”.

Download our brochure

Introduction of the IDEA lab

Contact

Address: 16 -1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305 -8569, Japan

Contact