Open IO Beta 1.5

Welcome to the web site of Open IO, a research project of The Sustainability Consortium. Open IO consists of a fully accessible, transparent economic input-output life cycle assessment database that permits complete access to the user desiring a greater knowledge of the development of the database, and allows for model data and results to be available for other applications.

SEE IT IN ACTION

What is OPEN IO?

Open IO intends to provide users with this information to allow for a greater understanding of the model structure and environmental data collected as a part of the project. Open IO has adapted for life cycle assessment purposes the input-output structure of the US economy developed by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The input-output model encompasses 430 commodities based on the North American Industrial Classification System, which is crosswalked to greater commodity detail by associating the IO commodities with 2,923 product "bricks" identified in the Global Production Classification code. Attached to each of these are environmental resource requirements for and emissions resulting from production for each industrial sector or GPC brick. The emission and resource requirements are associated with 15 midpoint and 5 endpoint environmental impacts based on the assessment methodology Impact 2002+. Features of Open IO are cradle-to-gate, cradle-to-consumer, and cradle-through-consumer impacts. Open IO allows users to isolate impacts for each stage of the product´s life cycle through the consumer stage.

Goals and Mission

Open IO supports the work of The Sustainability Consortium to conduct scientific research and the development of standards and IT tools to enhance the ability to understand and address the environmental, social, and economic implications of products.

News and Updates

The Sustainability Consortium is pleased to announce the redesign of the Open IO web site to improve access to data along with an update of the computational model. Some key new features:

• Improved access to data in spreadsheet format. Everything from raw input-output data to endpoint damages by commodity with much intermediate data as well.
• New information including updated user guide and complete model documentation.
• Release of Open IO beta 1.5. New release has improved data on use phase energy impacts as well as for life cycle wholesale trade phase impacts.