Italian electricity mix from ELCD 3.2 + Container glass

Question

I am writing to seek clarification on two brief issues that have emerged while using openLCA with the ELCD 3.2 database for an LCA analysis of the marble production supply chain, where the contribution of electricity is exclusively linked to the machinery used for processing.

1. When using the Italian electricity mix from ELCD 3.2, the results in terms of kg CO₂ eq. differ significantly from the values calculated using data from the National Inventory Report. From what I understand, this discrepancy could be due to the reference year (as the ELCD database may not be up to date) or to differences in system boundaries. I would like to understand whether it would be advisable to adopt a customized emission factor, more in line with official national data, or if it is preferable to maintain the internal consistency of the ELCD database.
    
2. The software automatically links the process "Container glass (delivered to the end user of the contained product, reuse rate: 7%), production mix at plant, technology mix" to the electricity-related process. As a result, glass production appears unjustifiably significant in the final results. According to some sources, this might be a placeholder that activates in the absence of a dedicated disposal process. In your opinion, would it be more appropriate to manually exclude it or to create an ad hoc process for waste disposal?

Answer 1

The first point was maybe answered in your other 'Italian ELCD grid mix' question,

for 2:

In the ELCD database, you should do the connections yourself, manually, as processes are in principle fully aggregated but contain tiny amounts of other products on input and output.