ecoinvent Launches its First API—Enabling Users to Embed Life Cycle Data Directly Into Their Workflows

The API allows users to pull from over 26,000 ecoinvent datasets and more than 600 impact indicators on demand, embed them wherever they work, and stay continuously connected to the most current version of the database. 

Why We Built It 

“Until now, working with ecoinvent has typically meant downloading database files, managing versions locally, and integrating them into your tools through custom processes,” says ecoinvent Chief Product and Technology Officer Nick Van Berckelaer. “That works well for many of our users, and it will continue to do so. But there is a whole value chain built upon our data—enterprises, software players, developers—and they have a lot of friction in common, particularly around integrating every new release year after year. The API is the first small step towards removing that friction: a data platform that makes it easier to access ecoinvent, easier to use it, and easier to build on top of it.”  

The ecoinvent API is designed to enable life cycle data to behave like any other data layer in a stack: available on demand, easy to integrate, and always up to date.

Over 50 users took part in API beta testing designed to validate real-world demand and gather feedback ahead of commercial release. This is what they had to say about the API:

The API doesn’t replace ecoQuery or the ecoinvent XML database files; it complements them*. ecoQuery remains the best place for interactive exploration and dataset review, and XML downloads continue to serve users who prefer working offline or with bulk files.

“ecoinvent has always been the foundational layer of the sustainability data ecosystem, the part that connects scientific rigor with real-world decision-making, whether you’re building software, running corporate reporting, or designing products,” says Van Berckelaer.

“The API makes that layer easier to connect to. Rather than spending precious engineering time figuring out how to integrate the database, our users can focus on their specialty: solving carbon accounting, scaling their LCA products, or making better procurement decisions. That’s the near-term value. But this is also the first step of something bigger. We are committed to keep innovating to even better enable our partners’ value propositions.” 

* Developer license holders access ecoinvent data exclusively via the API.