Assessing the environmental impacts of construction

The context for environmental assessment in the construction sector is undergoing considerable change. This is largely due to the publication of a suite of standards from CEN TC 350, which interlink with those from the International Standards Organisation (ISO) relating to life cycle assessment (LCA) and Type III environmental labelling.

Experts have written a paper, funded by the BRE Trust, to provide an aid to understanding the implications of CEN TC 350’s emerging standards for assessing the environmental performance of construction products (materials) and buildings.

The document presents an overview of the TC 350 standards relating to the environmental performance of materials and buildings and identifies the key aspects of the standards and their implications for modelling the environmental impacts of construction.

The paper will be of interest to manufacturers of construction products and services, architects and specifiers using these products and services, and LCA practitioners engaged in assessing them. It will help readers develop an understanding of the standards emerging in Europe and the challenges in implementing them.

You can download the full briefing paper here.

--BRE Buzz

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