TNO is currently coordinating an EC-project (LIFE-SYS WOOD) to develop a consistent approach to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of wood products. Existing and new LCA-inventory data of six wood products will be evaluated on reliability and consistency. After validation, LCA-results will be made available through a Knowledge Based System (by 1998-1999). The aim of the KBS is to make LCA-results available to a wide public of non-LCA-experts. Preliminary results of the desk research in the Netherlands by TNO are presented in this paper. A short comparison of the use of a Knowledge Based System and other existing LCA-computer tools was made. Initial results of a review of existing literature LCA-data on window frames in the Netherlands were summarised. A demonstration-version of the Knowledge Based System of an LCA for meranti and Norway spruce window frames was built for presentation to the Dutch wood industry. The system contains existing data, newly acquired data from the Dutch wood industry or the users' own data may be entered. The aim of this "demo-version" was to show the potential of a Knowledge Based System, and not completeness of the library of LCA-data. The "demo-version" has proved to be easy to use by non-experts in LCA.

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