Due to GFLI’s obligation to report the number of database end users and align our licensing terminology with that of our background data suppliers, we will no longer refer to any uses as “non-commercial”. Data use will be possible under three types of licenses:
1) Commercial License
Approved use: A commercial license allows companies to use the GFLI data for in-house analysis, research, development, reports, presentations, and communications. Consulting services are also permitted as long as static reports are provided to clients. Please see the fee structure for details about accessing the LCIA, LCI and unit process level data for in-house use. GFLI corporate members receive one free single-user commercial license to the LCIA data per year. (If an association member is interested in a single-user license, please contact the Secretariat.) GFLI members also receive significant discounts on the license fees for LCI and unit process
level data.
2) Developer License
Approved use: A developer license gives database access to 1-500+ internal and external end users through integration of GFLI data into a software/tools or products accessible to third parties, or other use cases where third parties interact with (part of) the GFLI database. Please see the fee structure for details about accessing the LCIA, LCI and unit process level data, which is categorized based on the total number of (internal and external)
end users. GFLI members receive significant discounts at all levels.
3) Research License
Approved use: A research license gives database access to academia, research institutes, government agencies, NGOs and IGOs for research, reports, presentations, or teaching. As the GFLI Board of Directors has not yet reviewed the proposed fee structure for this license, these agreements will be tailor-made, at least initially.
Internal and External End Users
To determine the number of end users that will have access to GFLI data under any given use case, the following definitions apply:
- An internal end user is an in-house employee or consultant (e.g. LCA expert; tool developer) directly involved in integrating (part of) the GFLI database into the company’s software, tool, product or service—or any other individual—who interactively uses the data to perform calculations and/or conduct analysis, studies, or reports on behalf of the company.
- An external end user is any third party, consultant, or individual who interacts with (part of) the GFLI database through (software) tools, products or services that allow interactive use of the GFLI datasets and/or database to perform calculations and/or conduct analysis, studies, or reports.
- Note that any user who receives static output (e.g. view-only rights, final footprint calculation, graphs or other communications or marketing-related output), does not count toward the total number of end users on a license.
Limitations of the commercial license
Communication of environmental footprints with the use of the GFLI database is acceptable under conditions. The table below indicates if and how the GFLI Database’s datasets can be shared as static output (generated results).
| GFLI data | Acceptable (yes/no) under this Commercial License & EULA |
| GFLI dataset “as is”, as an individual dataset or multiple datasets, including both: – Emission factors, also called footprints or impacts e.g. 500 kg CO2-eq / ton – Inventory data, also called LCI (lifecycle inventories), for System and Unit process | No |
| Calculated feed footprint (one final value) with multiple components, as a result of Your own calculation Example: The footprint of Your specific compound feed. | Yes (counts as Generated Results) |
| Calculated footprint (one final value) for the total of raw material for a feed formulation (no transport) Example: The footprint of only the aggregated raw materials in your specific compound feed. | Yes (counts as Generated Results) |
| Calculated footprint (one final value) for a sub-group of raw materials with more than one ingredient in each sub-group Example: Calculated footprint for plant proteins (potato protein + soybean protein concentrate) | Yes (counts as Generated Results) |
| Calculated footprint (one final value) of a single material which has been aggregated from multiple origins Example: Calculated footprint of maize as an aggregated result from NL, BE, IT, etc. | Yes (counts as Generated Results) |
| Calculated footprint (one final value) of a specific raw material in the GFLI database, aggregated with transport Example: Calculated footprint of maize from the Netherlands at Your specific feed mill’s entry gates. | Yes (counts as Generated Results) |