diff --git a/python/damask/test/test.py b/python/damask/test/test.py
index e2ef89330..e7f2da14a 100644
--- a/python/damask/test/test.py
+++ b/python/damask/test/test.py
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ class Test():
         logging.critical('Current2Current: Unable to copy file "{}"'.format(f))
         raise
 
-  def execute_inCurrentDir(self,cmd,streamIn=None):
+  def execute_inCurrentDir(self,cmd,streamIn=None,env=None):
 
     logging.info(cmd)
     out,error = damask.util.execute(cmd,streamIn,self.dirCurrent())
diff --git a/python/damask/util.py b/python/damask/util.py
index 189f08a98..27babf43f 100644
--- a/python/damask/util.py
+++ b/python/damask/util.py
@@ -97,14 +97,17 @@ def strikeout(what):
 # -----------------------------
 def execute(cmd,
             streamIn = None,
-            wd = './'):
+            wd = './',
+            env = None):
   """Executes a command in given directory and returns stdout and stderr for optional stdin"""
   initialPath = os.getcwd()
   os.chdir(wd)
+  myEnv = os.environ if env is None else env
   process = subprocess.Popen(shlex.split(cmd),
                              stdout = subprocess.PIPE,
                              stderr = subprocess.PIPE,
-                             stdin  = subprocess.PIPE)
+                             stdin  = subprocess.PIPE,
+                             env = myEnv)
   out,error = [i for i in (process.communicate() if streamIn is None
                                                  else process.communicate(streamIn.read().encode('utf-8')))]
   out   = out.decode('utf-8').replace('\x08','')