In a new ForestPaths video, Amelie Müller (VITO and Leiden University) presents bw_timex, a tool, which helps ensure that a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) uses the right data for the right point in time. 

Timing matters when assessing a product’s environmental impact, as a product’s life cycle can span decades while the technologies behind it keep changing. For example, a product’s end-of-life treatment may take place 20 years after its construction, by which time the share of renewable electricity may have grown. 

bw_timex accounts for this: it considers when processes take place across the supply chain, how supply chains and technologies evolve, and when emissions occur. It is an open-source Python package built on the Brightway LCA framework, and its use cases include long-lived products and biogenic carbon, making it relevant to wood products.

Watch below and our YouTube channel.