environmental information on construction products (eicp) philip bennett cepmc council of european...

Environmental Information on Construction Products (EICP)

Philip BennettCEPMC

Council of European Producers of Materials for ConstructionConseil Européen des Producteurs de Matériaux de ConstructionVereinigung Europäischer BaustoffherstellerCEPMCEPM

CC

UNICE/Eco-Label Information Day, 24 June 2002 CEPMC

EICP

- What is it?

- What are the benefits?

- Latest developments

- Challenges ahead


What is EICP?

EICP is a voluntary, industry-based initiative for providing transparent, accurate and reliable

environmental information on construction products


EICP in Sustainable Construction

- Quality- Costs- Standards- Etc...

EICP

Other environmental information

Whole Life Costing

Environmental assessment of buildings

- Specifiers

- Architects

- Local authorities

- etc...


Characteristics of EICP

• Scheme-based

• LCA-based (LCI on all the phases of the life cycle)

using ISO 14040 principles

• Quantified environmental data

• Pre-set categories of parameters

• Quality assurance (usually, critical review)


The main EICP actors in Europe

National Scheme LCI/LCIA Producers scheme organiser/promoter operator involved to date

UK Env. Profiles BRE - Building BRE on a 26 sectors http://collaborate.bre.co. Research Establishment sector basis uk/envprofiles/

France Communication of AIMCC - French Constr. Ecobilan (PwC) 8 sectors Env. Characteristics Products Association on a sector basis of Building Prods

Germany Building Materials IKP-Stuttgart Univ. commissioned around 25 Profiles by sector sectors

Nether- MRPI-Env. Relevant NVTB-Dutch Constr. commissioned 14 sectorslands Product Information Products Association by company

www.mrpi.nl/engels.html


The main EICP actors in Europe

National Scheme LCI/LCIA Producers Scheme organiser/promoter Operator involved to

date

Sweden Building Products BYKR-Ecocycle Council commissioned 700 products Declarations for Building Sector by company

EPD® EMAS Council commissioned by sector

Denmark EPDs for Building SBI-Danish Building & SBI 40 sectors Product (MVDB) Urban Research

Norway Env. Declaration NBI-Norwegian Buil- NBI of Building Prods ding Research Institute

Finland Env. Declaration RTS-Finnish Building VTT- Building 50 sectors of Building Prods Information Institute and Transport


Examples of software models for the environmental assessment of buildings and

components

Country Model Model owner Further Information

UK Envest (New Env. BRE www.bre-co.uk/sustainable/ Impact Estimating envest.html Software)

France Escale CSTB www.cstb.fr

Germany Build-It IKP - Stuttgart [email protected] University

Nether- Eco-Quantum IVAM, W/E, Prisman www.w-e.nl.eqdemo.htm lands


Examples of software models for the environmental assessment of buildings and

components

Country Model Model owner Further Information

Sweden Eco-effect KTH Infrastructure [email protected] & Planning

Denmark Beat 2000 (Building SBI www.by-og-byg.dk/english/ Env. Assessment Tool) research/environmental-impacts

from-buildings/index.htm

Norway Ecoprofile NBI www.byggforsk.no/oekoprofil/ default.htm

Finland LCA House VTT www.vtt.fi/rte/esitteet/ymparisto/ lcahouse.html


What are the benefits of EICP?

• EU policies for sustainable development and integrated product policy (IPP)

• Major benefits for construction• Level playing-field for suppliers• Alternative to eco-labelling which is unsuitable for B2B

construction products• Alternative to “preference lists” (which are based on varying

and questionable methodology)• “Greening” of public procurement• Improvement of sector image


Sustainable Development and IPP

Working Group on Sustainable Construction - Sept 2000(Tripartite Group : EC, Member States, Industry)

“LCI-based environmental data schemes should become general practice for the construction products industry.”

EC Communication on the sixth environment action programme of the European Community - 24 January 2001

“Member States and companies should aim at introducing product information schemes for all types of products in the years to come and the Commission will

encourage this under its Integrated Product Policy approach.”


Sustainable Development and IPP

EC Green Paper on Integrated Product Policy - 7 February 2001

“The general philosophy of increasing the amount of product information on the market calls for flexible and cost-effective solutions. For example, the criteria of

environmental performance developed for product groups, based on a transparent examination of life cycle considerations, could be more extensively

used.”

EU Council Conclusions on the EC Green Paper on IPP - 7-8 June 2001

“The Council calls upon the Commission to: … Present a coherent strategy to ensure that credible life cycle data and other reliable environmental information

related to products are disseminated through the product chain. It should … cover improvements … in the elaboration of life cycle databases and other

relevant business-to-business information (e.g. ISO Type III)”


Major benefits for construction

EICP provides transparent, accurate and reliable information for:

• the optimal eco-design of new products

• the improvement of existing products

• assisting architects, specifiers, contractors, purchasers in their choice of products (for a specific application) and in the eco-efficient and safe design, use and maintenance of construction works

• assisting contractors and recycling companies in the environmentally-friendly recovery (or safe disposal) of waste materials from end-of-life construction works


Level playing field for suppliers

• Within a single (national) scheme there is a recognised, uniform methodology and presentation format for all construction products

• Most national schemes are based on ISO TR 14025, Type III Environment Declarations - Guiding Principles and Procedures


EICP vs Eco-labels

• Type I (ISO 14024)

• Pass/fail award scheme (with cut-off points set on what basis?)

• Suitable for end-consumer requiring quick, non-detailed information

• Suitable for “end-use” products

• Type III (ISO TR 14025)

• Available for all products• No comparison or weighting against other products• Detailed information available for B2B purchasers/ specifiers• Suitable for materials/ products/components to be incor-porated into end-use product, e.g. building

Eco-Labelse.g. Blue Angel (D); Nordic Swan

Env. Declarationse.g. EICP schemes


EICP vs “preference lists”

• Increasing incidence of so-called “environmental experts” creating lists of recommended “green” products for use by public authorities

• Industry-generated EICP based on accepted LC methodology constitutes a far better alternative


“Greening” of public procurement

• EC Communication on Public Procurement and the Environment– eco-labels/EMAS not mandatory but may be used as

proof of compliance with certain environmental requirements

• Further legislation to make eco-labelling and EMAS as sole proof of compliance?

• With EICP, eco-labelling is not necessary


Improvement of Sector Image

• 20% of EU manufacturing output• 2.5 million jobs (excluding distributive trades)• 20.000 different consturction products

• consumes 40% of total raw materials• accounts for 40%, by weight, of total waste generated

(most of which, however, is recovered)


BUT

Developments in EICP

• Industry

• European Commission

• Standards Bodies


Developments in EICP – Industry

• Industry conference on 16 May 2001 (attended by 200 people) to review the existing national schemes in Europe and to assess their potential for harmonisation at a European level.

higher awareness of EICP as a tool for sustainable construction

agreement that, to avoid higher costs and barriers to trade (particularly for SMEs), a cross-border harmonisation of EICP schemes is necessary

support for international standardisation of approach


Developments in EICP – European Commission

• DG Environment Draft Interim Report “Evaluation of EPD Schemes” April 2002 which sees the construction sector as a frontrunner

• DG Enterprise Construction Unit. Project with consultant PwC comparing national EICP schemes, the potential for their harmonisation and their potential use for harmonised standards

Expert Workshop on 20 June 2002


Developments in EICP – Standards Bodies

• NEN (Dutch Standards Body)• AFNOR (French Standards Body)• ISO/TC 207/ SC3/WG4 (Environmental management -

Environmental labelling)• ISO/TC 59/ SC3/WG12 (Building construction -

Functional/ user requirements and performance in building construction)


NEN (Dutch Standards Body)

Draft Standard : NEN 7185• Material-related environmental profile of a building

• Description of a method (related to the Dutch Building Decree) for determining the environmental impact characteristics of residential buildings, based on LCA data of materials and construction products


AFNOR (French Standards Body)Experimental Standard : XP P01010-1

• Environmental quality of construction products - Information concerning the environmental characteristics of construction products

• Part 1 : Methodology and model of data declaration - published in April 2001

• Part 2 : Common methodology for determining the contribution of products to environmental impacts of buildings - health and comfort aspects included (Based on ISO 14042) - published in April 2002


ISO/TC 207 Environmental Management

• ISO/TC 207/SC3/WG4 Type III Env. Declarations

• TR 14025 standard?

• Does not wish to develop sector-specific standards based on TR 14025.

• Will co-operate with ISO/TC 59/SC3/WG12 which is taking the lead on a construction sector standard.


ISO/TC 59 Building Construction

• TC/59/SC3/WG12 Sustainable Building Construction

• Working since end 2000 on standard for “guidelines to promote an objective methodology for environmental declaration of building materials and products”.

• Proposal that WG12 becomes SC19 under AFNOR Secretariat.


Challenges ahead

• With regard to providing environmental information, the construction products sector is one of the most advanced in Europe.

• However, challenges lie ahead:

– Acceptance by both private and public procurement purchasers that EICP is more suited to their needs than eco-labelling

– EU harmonisation of national EICP schemes

– The use of EICP data in harmonised standards


environmental information on construction products (eicp) philip bennett cepmc council of european...

Documents

building sector

sectors env

profiles bre building

information uk envest

dateuk env

cepmcthe main eicp actors

sector denmark epds

sectors http