ReCiPe2016 is an updated life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) method that provides a harmonized approach for midpoint and endpoint level assessments. The method was developed to improve the accuracy and comprehensiveness of LCIA by incorporating global-scale characterisation factors, while maintaining the ability to apply factors at country and continental levels for certain impact categories. The ReCiPe2016 method includes 17 midpoint impact categories and expands the number of environmental interventions, adding new damage pathways such as impacts of water use on human health, impacts of climate change on freshwater ecosystems, and impacts of tropospheric ozone formation on terrestrial ecosystems. The method also provides midpoint and endpoint characterisation factors at the country level for several impact categories, including photochemical ozone formation, particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, and water use. The ReCiPe2016 method uses a framework that includes human health, ecosystem quality, and resource scarcity as areas of protection. The unit for human health damage is disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), representing years lost or disabled due to disease or accident. The unit for ecosystem quality is local relative species loss integrated over space and time. The unit for resource scarcity is dollars, representing the extra costs for future mineral and fossil resource extraction. Endpoint characterisation factors are derived from midpoint characterisation factors with a constant mid-to-endpoint factor per impact category. The selection criteria for environmental models in ReCiPe2016 include a focus on the global scale and reflection of the current state of science. The update of ReCiPe aims to address shortcomings in previous methods, such as a continental focus and insufficiently mature characterisation models for some impact categories. The method also seeks to improve the modelling of impact pathways, including regionalisation of more impact categories and moving from local to global species extinction. ReCiPe2016 provides a state-of-the-art method to convert life cycle inventories into a limited number of life cycle impact scores on midpoint and endpoint levels.ReCiPe2016 is an updated life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) method that provides a harmonized approach for midpoint and endpoint level assessments. The method was developed to improve the accuracy and comprehensiveness of LCIA by incorporating global-scale characterisation factors, while maintaining the ability to apply factors at country and continental levels for certain impact categories. The ReCiPe2016 method includes 17 midpoint impact categories and expands the number of environmental interventions, adding new damage pathways such as impacts of water use on human health, impacts of climate change on freshwater ecosystems, and impacts of tropospheric ozone formation on terrestrial ecosystems. The method also provides midpoint and endpoint characterisation factors at the country level for several impact categories, including photochemical ozone formation, particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, and water use. The ReCiPe2016 method uses a framework that includes human health, ecosystem quality, and resource scarcity as areas of protection. The unit for human health damage is disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), representing years lost or disabled due to disease or accident. The unit for ecosystem quality is local relative species loss integrated over space and time. The unit for resource scarcity is dollars, representing the extra costs for future mineral and fossil resource extraction. Endpoint characterisation factors are derived from midpoint characterisation factors with a constant mid-to-endpoint factor per impact category. The selection criteria for environmental models in ReCiPe2016 include a focus on the global scale and reflection of the current state of science. The update of ReCiPe aims to address shortcomings in previous methods, such as a continental focus and insufficiently mature characterisation models for some impact categories. The method also seeks to improve the modelling of impact pathways, including regionalisation of more impact categories and moving from local to global species extinction. ReCiPe2016 provides a state-of-the-art method to convert life cycle inventories into a limited number of life cycle impact scores on midpoint and endpoint levels.