Automated Life Cycle Assessment Using the Systems Modeling Language v2 and OpenLCA

In their Systems Engineering (SE) Vision for 2035, the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) identified sustainability as a mega-trend that will shape the future of engineered systems. Engineers will be expected to consider the societal impacts of systems as an integral part of their work. This work introduces a novel approach leveraging Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and the Systems Modeling Language v2 (SysML v2) to facilitate and streamline Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). We demonstrate how an LCA model can be generated from a SysML v2 model in less than one minute, using its standardized API and the LCA tool openLCA. This not only enhances the efficiency of performing LCA but also makes the process more accessible to engineers working within an MBSE framework. The application of this method is demonstrated on a smartphone, however, it can be applied to any system or System of Systems (SoS).