Abstract
This study aims to examine the feasibility of using environmental product declarations (EPDs) as a data source for life-cycle assessment (LCA) in two sustainable building assessment schemes–the pilot version of the European framework Level(s) and the German system DGNB (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen). An EPD is a standardized and third-party certified label to communicate product-specific environmental data based on LCA. Some green building rating systems consider it a robust LCA data source and encourage its use over generic data. This work evaluates the environmental profile of the envelope of an office building in the context of level(s) and DGNB adopting EPD as a data source. The results indicate that the EPDs did not cover the mandatory scope of the schemes. Furthermore, there was a lack of EPDs appropriate to the geographical context of the case study, leading to the adoption of EPDs of products from places other than the building site and an overestimation of the environmental impacts of transportation. Moreover, the need for EPDs considering suitable and comprehensive scenarios as well as life-cycle stages beyond the product stage is highlighted. This gap, in fact, hinders the performance of a complete LCA within the analyzed building assessment schemes when relying solely on EPDs as a data source. With this paper, we wish to encourage the further development of EPDs related to the integration of more life-cycle modules and more comprehensive scenarios, considering the direction of the latest amendment of the ISO 15804 for EPDs of construction products.
Highlights
As described in Section 2.1.3, the collected environmental product declarations (EPDs) were analyzed according to two aspects: the assessed life-cycle stages and the provenance of the products
EPD has been referred as being a suitable data source for life-cycle assessment (LCA) and in some instances it has been the preferred option since it offers manufacturer-specific information
The goal of this study was to assess the suitability of EPD as LCA data source through a case study—
Summary
In Europe, buildings generate 35% of the total greenhouse gas emissions and consume about 40% of the total final energy [2], making them a key player in the reduction of environmental impacts [3,4,5]. Different actors in the construction sector have recognized the importance of assessing the sustainability of buildings in its three dimensions [6,7]. In this regard, both public authorities and private associations worldwide have developed green building rating systems (GBRSs), voluntary schemes that measure the compliance of buildings with particular sustainability criteria [8]. In the European context, the most widespread GBRSs are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Building Research Environmental As-
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