Comprehensive and open data of Switzerland’s global supply chain

Existing databases for sustainability assessments are incomplete, closed or inflexible. There is a pressing need for open data and software processes to support robust and transparent decision-making. 

We aim at improving the state of the art in environmental and social life cycle assessment (LCA) by publishing open workflows for a hybrid database joining bottom-up LCA data (ecoinvent) with top-down economic tables (EXIOBASE, SHDB). We will develop automated integration tools while considering data quality, numerical uncertainty, consistency within and across data points, and sensitivity assessment. Data gathered by NRP 73 research projects will be integrated into our database.

By developing, documenting and advocating for these open workflows and toolsets, we will push their adoption by the research community and software and database providers. 

The hybrid data will be used to calculate a comprehensive footprint of Swiss consumption. A simplified web tool will allow Swiss consumers to explore their footprints and can inform debate on the policies and measures needed to reach the Paris accord.

Christopher Mutel from the Paul Scherrer Institute will lead this co-creation lab.