Successful and widespread implementation of existing methodologies for waste minimisation has failed to provide significant benefits for industrial applications. one of the main reasons for this is the lack of a comprehensive approach that integrates and guides the application of the proper tool depending on the case. Existing methodologies have been developed for particular stages in the process of life cycle and they require a different information which may not be available and could result too costly to obtain. The aim of this work is to present the theoretical framework of a tool that integrates these methodologies and provides criteria to select the appropriate structure for the case at hand. The proposed tool is an ontology-based approach for the structured Organisation of information aiming to identify waste minimisation opportunities. (C) 2008 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.