Hi Tristan and Ray,
Apologies for the delayed response, and thank you for posting your question here — this is best practice, as it helps other users learn as well.
Please note that transport distance and mode can vary by region, which is why transport impacts are regionalised. You can find more information on this in our support article: https://support.etool.app/index.php/knowledgebase/references-for-transportation-impact/
The total impact shown for a template in the Template Library is for reference only. The GWP values you see when browsing templates might change once the template is added to your design. That’s because each template needs to have an LCI version assigned to appear in the library, but once it’s added to a project, it automatically updates to match the LCI version set at the project level. So, the LCI source shown in the library is really just a placeholder, and the actual impacts will reflect your project’s LCI setup.
As Ray mentioned, you can customise the transport settings at the element level—just click Edit on the template and scroll down to the Transport to Site section. There, you can select the appropriate transport mode and input the distance relevant to your project.
Regarding the use of our default transport distances as a benchmark, GBCA hasn’t provided any formal position on this. In general, they rely on expert judgement and expect LCA practitioners to ensure assumptions are intentional and justifiable. However, based on our experience, using adjusted transport distances is a strategy that has been used and accepted in past submissions.
Our default values are particularly useful in early design stages when detailed transport information isn’t available, and they represent average conditions for the region. That said, if you’re aiming for a more accurate comparison, you could model the reference design using an average distance from a few local suppliers, and the proposed case with the actual supplier distance.
I hope this helps.
