Teaching life cycle assessment with SimaPro
As the world becomes more environmentally conscious, there is a growing need for sustainability professionals who can help companies navigate stricter regulations and changing consumer preferences. That’s why an increasing number of universities are incorporating life cycle thinking and assessment methodology into their programs. SimaPro is the perfect tool to help students understand these concepts and develop the skills needed to address complex environmental challenges.
You need to prepare your students for a world where life cycle assessment is becoming an integral part of sustainability thinking and sustainable product design. And what better tool to learn on than the most widely used LCA software? Our SimaPro plans for education are ideal for learning the concept of life cycle thinking and gaining an understanding of the benefits and challenges of LCA.
Hands-on learning experience
Learning LCA can be a challenging process, but with SimaPro, it becomes an engaging and practical experience for your students. By using our software, students can dive into the interdisciplinary approach of LCA and explore the complex relationship between industrial and ecological systems. They will be able to systematically identify hotspots and analyze solutions for trade-offs, providing them with a powerful analytical toolset to gain direct insight into the origins of results.
With more than a hundred universities and research institutes using SimaPro, our software is a trusted and proven tool in the field of LCA. Its user-friendly approach means that it can be utilized at different conceptual levels, supporting both beginners and advanced students alike. In addition, we offer comprehensive support for teachers, including tutorials on the SimaPro Help Center, technical support via our help desk, trainings, and online forums such as the LCA discussion list. Join the global community of SimaPro users and equip your students with the tools they need to tackle complex environmental challenges.
The latest databases and methods
All SimaPro plans come with extensive life cycle inventory databases, including ecoinvent, Agri-footprint, the EU and Danish Input Output database, USLCI database, and Industry data 2.0. In addition, a wide range of impact assessment methods are available, including the widely used ReCiPe method. The software supports twelve different languages which makes it easier for your students to learn the ins and outs of conducting LCAs.
SimaPro plans for education
We offer two plans that are ideal for teaching purposes – SimaPro Classroom and SimaPro Faculty. Both plans include the product life cycle modeling features needed to effectively and efficiently teach the concepts of life cycle thinking and life cycle assessment.
SimaPro Classroom is a multi-user, client-server network version of SimaPro. It allows multiple students to work on the same database simultaneously and collaborate on the same project. Passwords and user rights are easily allocated, and you can follow the progress of your students by logging in as a manager.
SimaPro Faculty, on the other hand, is a single-user version — only one person can access a database or project at a time. With the Faculty plan, SimaPro can be installed on the computers of one professor/lecturer and all their students. We offer free access to SimaPro Faculty and ecoinvent for a 12-month period to educational institutions in lower-middle-income and low-income countries as defined in the UN Classification. Apply for your free SimaPro Faculty using this form.