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Author: Anh-Migrate

B-01 Emissions of dangerous substances to indoor air during the use stage

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Aspect B-01 Emissions of dangerous substances to indoor air during the use stage
Description
 This aspect concerns the emissions of regulated dangerous substances from building products into indoor air, which can have an impact on health.

related study objective

 ☒ stand-alone LCA ☒ comparative assertion

related study phase

 ☒ ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐
goal and scope definition inventory analysis (LCI) impact assessment (LCIA) interpretation reporting

relevant for
new buildings existing buildings construction products screening LCA simplified LCA complete LCA
Provisions The emissions of health-related substances into indoor air during the use stage should be assessed in the context of a complete LCA, according to the European standards from CEN/TC 351: see guidance below.
Rules from:
 EN 15978:

7.4.4.2 Boundary of the installed products in use (Module B1)

EN 15804:

7.4 Additional information on release of dangerous substances to indoor air, soil and water during the use stage

7.4.1 Indoor air

ILCD:

“ISO 14044 names ‘emissions to air, water and soil’ as top-level classification, while recommending further differentiation as required for the given goal and scope of the LCA work.” ILCD Handbook: Framework and requirements for LCIA models and indicators: “This guidance document provides a framework and requirements for the models that are used to analyse the emissions into air, water and soil,…”
Guidance

The boundary of Module B1 includes impacts such as the release of substances from the façade, roof, floor coverings, internal finishes and other products that affect indoor air quality, which should be assessed according to the CEN/TC 351 standards, once these are available. The use stage starts at the point of practical completion of the construction work and runs to the time when the building is deconstructed or demolished.

EN 15804 is clear that the effects of health-related emissions and indoor air quality are not part of LCIA, but are considered and reported separately.  An emission, for example of a volatile solvent, from a product manufacturing process, installation process or product during use can be assessed as part of LCIA (e.g. POCP impact), irrespective of where and when the emission happens; the impact will be reported in the life cycle stage in which the impact occurs. But the effect of the emission from the product during use into indoor air where occupants are living or working can have separate health-related impacts that will be dependent on time and location, and are different from the impacts measured in LCIA. TC 351 provides guidance on how to report information on the health-related emissions from products in use, and covers emissions to air, water and soil (the emissions to water and soil are covered separately by Aspect B-02).

The guidance provides information on how to collect consistent data on indoor air emissions, and how they can be used in impact assessment methodologies.

The emissions of dangerous substances into indoor air during the use stage should be assessed according to the CEN/TC 351 standards.

The robustness programme is in progress in 2012, and the validated standards will be available in 2013. A list of regulated dangerous substances possibly associated with building products under the CPD (Construction Product Directive) Regulation has been established at European level [EC 2011]. This list indicates the substances and parameters that the evaluation should focus on. No aggregation is foreseen. For each pollutant, limit values can be defined at national level. At present, regulations exist in some European countries, such as Germany [AgBB 2010] and France [JORF 2011], and many voluntary labels exist at the European level [EC 2005a]. The results from CEN/TC351 tests will be integrated into the CE marking scheme, and allow products to meet CPR basic requirement No. 3 on Hygiene, Health and Environment [EC 2005b]. They are complementary to the results obtained using the LCA methodology.

Further work is necessary in order to establish scientific and pragmatic links between the data obtained by an LCA approach (CEN/TC 350 work) and that obtained by using emissions protocols (CEN/TC 351 work).

Some information on this issue is given in the LoRe-LCA project [LoRe-LCA 2011]. For more information on the link between LCI data on air emissions and LCIA method please consult the ‘Human toxicity and ecotoxicity indicators’ aspect.

For comparative assertions, simulation data are comparable if based on the same scenarios and hypothesis. All the parameters and hypotheses should be mentioned and explained together with the results in order to improve comparability.

 

B-02 Release of dangerous substances to soil and water during the use stage

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Aspect B-02 Release of dangerous substances to soil and water during the use stage
Description
 The release of dangerous substances to soil and water during the use stage concern the on-site water pollution induced by leaching (water contact with the built environment). These are expressed in mg of the released substance per m2 or kg of the exposed product, per time unit (e.g. year) and service life.

related study objective

 ☒ stand-alone LCA ☒ comparative assertion

related study phase

 ☒ ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐
goal and scope definition inventory analysis (LCI) impact assessment (LCIA) interpretation reporting

relevant for
new buildings existing buildings construction products screening LCA simplified LCA complete LCA
Provisions The release of dangerous substances to soil and water during use stage should be assessed in the context of a complete LCA, according to the European standards from CEN/TC 351.
Rules from:
 EN 15978:
7.4.4.2 Boundary of the installed products in use (Module B1)EN 15804:
7.4 Additional information on release of dangerous substances to indoor air, soil and water during the use stage
7.4.2 Soil and water

ILCD:
“Mandatory for both technical and non-technical target audience: ‘elementary flow categories’ by receiving/providing environmental compartment: ‘Emissions to water’.” “ISO 14044 names ‘emissions to air, water and soil’ as top-level classification, while recommending further differentiation as required for the given goal and scope of the LCA work.” ILCD Handbook: Framework and requirements for LCIA models and indicators: “This guidance document provides a framework and requirements for the models that are used to analyse the emissions into air, water and soil,…”
Guidance
 The boundary of Module B1 for buildings includes impacts such as release of substances from the façade, roof and other surfaces, which should be assessed according to the CEN/TC 351 standards.The release of dangerous substances should be provided for products exposed to soil and water after their installation in buildings during the use stage according to the horizontal standards issued from CEN TC 351, once these are available.The release of dangerous substances, expressed in mg/m2or kg per time unit and service life, should be assessed according to the CEN/TC 351 standards. The following draft documents are available: CEN/TC351/WG1/TS2 ‘Generic horizontal dynamic surface leaching test (DSLT) for determination of surface dependent release of substances from monolithic or plate-like or sheet-like building products’ and CEN/TC351/WG1/TS3 ‘Generic horizontal up-flow percolation test for determination of the release of substances from granular building products’ [CEN 2010b] (a third test method deals with the determination of the release of volatile organic compounds into indoor air by means of test chamber [CEN 2010c]). The robustness programme is in progress in 2012, and the validated standards should be available in 2013.A list of regulated dangerous substances possibly associated with building products under the Construction Product Directive (CPD) Regulation has been established at European level [EC 2011]. This list indicates which substances and parameters the evaluation should focus on . No aggregation is foreseen.For each pollutant, limit values are or can be defined at national level (at present only a few Member States have quantitative requirements on this issue, e.g. the Dutch ‘Soil Quality Decree’ [VROM 2007] and the German ‘Principles for assessing the effects of building products on soil and groundwater’ [DIBt 2009]). The results from these tests will be integrated into the CE marking scheme and make it possible to meet the RPC basic requirement No. 3 on hygiene, health and environment [EC 2005b]. They are complementary to the results obtained using the LCA methodology.Further work is necessary in order to establish scientific and pragmatic links between data obtained by an LCA approach (CEN/TC 350 work) and by using leaching tests (CEN/TC 351 work). Some proposals are available, as for example in [Lupsea 2012].For comparative assertions, simulation data are comparable if based on the same scenarios and hypothesis. All the parameters and hypotheses should be mentioned and explained together with the results in order to improve comparability.

B-03 Maintenance with screening LCA

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Aspect B-03 Maintenance with screening LCA
Description
 Maintenance is defined as the combination of all planned actions during the service life to maintain the product installed in a building in a state in which it can deliver its required functional and technical performance. Maintenance is optional in the context of a screening LCA.

related study objective

 ☒ stand-alone LCA ☒ comparative assertion

related study phase

 ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
goal and scope definition inventory analysis (LCI) impact assessment (LCIA) interpretation reporting

relevant for
new buildings existing buildings construction products screening LCA simplified LCA complete LCA
Provisions The maintenance procedure refers only to planned action in response to anticipated losses of performance of building components and building parts. Building modifications in response to unexpected events (e.g. flood, inappropriate use, or vandalism) should be considered as reparation (B3), and may be ignored in the context of a screening LCA.The maintenance scenario is optional for a screening LCA, and may be neglected in many cases. The boundaries of the maintenance scenario may be defined according to the goal and scope of the study (see ‘Maintenance with complete LCA’ and ‘Maintenance with simplified LCA’ for guidance).
Rules from:
 EN 15978:
7.4.4.1 General
7.4.4.3 Boundary for maintenance (Module B2)
8.3 Time related characteristics
8.6.3 Scenarios for maintenance, repair, replacement

EN 15804:

6.3.3. Reference service life
6.3.4.4.2  – B2 Maintenance
7.3.3.1 B1–B5 use stage related to the building fabric
Annex A
Guidance
 If a maintenance scenario is to be developed, it is recommended that the following building parts be addressed, in order of priority:

  • roofing and roof framework;
  • façades, exterior joinery work and windows;
  • partitioning, lining, suspended ceilings;
  • Floor finishes and covering,  walls and ceiling coverings;
  • HVAC (heating – ventilation – cooling – DHW).

Refer to ‘Maintenance with complete LCA’ and ‘Maintenance with simplified LCA’ in this guidance document.

B-04 Maintenance with simplified LCA

Written on .

Aspect B-04 Maintenance with simplified LCA
Description
 Maintenance is defined as the combination of all planned actions during the service life to maintain the product installed in a building in a state in which it can deliver its required functional and technical performance. Maintenance is optional in the context of a simplified LCA.

related study objective

 ☒ stand-alone LCA ☒ comparative assertion

related study phase

 ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
goal and scope definition inventory analysis (LCI) impact assessment (LCIA) interpretation reporting

relevant for
new buildings existing buildings construction products screening LCA simplified LCA complete LCA
Provisions The maintenance procedure refers only to planned action in response to anticipated losses of performance of building components and building parts. Building modifications in response to unexpected events (e.g. flood, inappropriate use, or vandalism) should be considered as reparation (B3), and may be ignored in the context of a simplified LCA.The overall maintenance scenario should be developed in accordance with:

  • individual EPD (cradle to gate with corresponding option, or cradle to grave);
  • client requirements and current practices;
  • product and component manufacturers’ information;
  • existing applicable standards, such as ISO 15686-1, -2, -7 and -8 [ISO 15686].

The maintenance scenario should cover at least the following elements:

  • roofing and roof framework;
  • façades, exterior joinery work and windows;
  • partitioning, lining and suspended ceilings;
  • floor finishes and coverings, walls and ceiling coverings;
  • HVAC (heating – ventilation – cooling – DHW).

Other components and building parts (e.g. electrical and communication network – high and low power, lighting equipment and sanitary facilities) may be covered, depending on the scope of the study and the available information. In any case the boundaries of the maintenance scenario should be clearly stated.

According to EN 15804, the maintenance scenario should include:

  • the production and transportation of any component and ancillary products used for maintenance, including cleaning;
  • the transportation of any wastage from maintenance processes or from maintenance-related transportation;
  • the end-of-life processes of any wastage from transportation and the maintenance process, including any part of the component and ancillary materials removed;
  • water and energy usage related to cleaning.

However, water and energy usage related to maintenance operations and cleaning may be taken into through simplified scenarios.
Rules from:
 EN 15978:
7.4.4.1 General
7.4.4.3 Boundary for maintenance (Module B2)
8.3 Time related characteristics
8.6.3 Scenarios for maintenance, repair, replacement

EN 15804:

6.3.3. Reference service life

6.3.4.4.2  – B2 Maintenance

7.3.3.1 B1–B5 use stage related to the building fabric

Annex A
Guidance
 It is expected that not all necessary information required to develop a maintenance scenario will be included in the EPDs. Nevertheless, the maintenance scenario should encompass the planned actions for listed components (see above), based on the available information. Knowledge gaps should be filled by referring to state-of-the-art practice.In addition, LCA of existing buildings may take into account real and established practices (real-life data) specific to a particular building, but scenarios based on current practice may also be developed.

B-05 Maintenance with complete LCA

Written on .

Aspect B-05 Maintenance with complete LCA
Description
 Maintenance is defined as the combination of all planned actions during the service life to maintain the product installed in a building in a state in which it can deliver its required functional and technical performance.

related study objective

 ☒ stand-alone LCA ☒ comparative assertion

related study phase

 ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
goal and scope definition inventory analysis (LCI) impact assessment (LCIA) interpretation reporting

relevant for
new buildings existing buildings construction products screening LCA simplified LCA complete LCA
Provisions The maintenance procedure refers only to planned action in response to anticipated losses of performance of building components and building parts. Building modifications in response to unexpected events (e.g. flood, inappropriate use, or vandalism) should be considered as reparation (B3).The overall maintenance scenario should be developed in accordance with:

  • individual EPD (cradle to gate with corresponding option, or cradle to grave);
  • client requirements and current practices;
  • product and component manufacturers’ information;
  • existing applicable standards, such as ISO 15686-1, -2, -7 and -8 [ISO 15686].

The maintenance scenario should include (EN 15804):

  • the production and transportation of any component and ancillary products used for maintenance, including cleaning;
  • the transportation of any wastage from maintenance processes or from maintenance-related transportation;
  • the end-of-life processes of any wastage from transportation and the maintenance process, including any part of the component and ancillary materials removed;
  • water and energy usage related to cleaning.

Water and energy usage related to maintenance operations other than cleaning should always be included.
Rules from:
 EN 15978:
7.4.4.1 General
7.4.4.3 Boundary for maintenance (Module B2)
8.3 Time related characteristics
8.6.3 Scenarios for maintenance, repair, replacement

EN 15804:

6.3.3. Reference service life

6.3.4.4.2  – B2 Maintenance

7.3.3.1 B1–B5 use stage related to the building fabric

Annex A
Guidance
 It is expected that not all necessary information required to develop a maintenance scenario will be included in the EPDs. Nevertheless, the maintenance scenario should encompass the planned actions for listed components (see above), based on the available information. Knowledge gaps should be filled by referring to state-of-the-art practice.In addition, LCA of existing buildings should take into account real and established practices (real-life data) specific to a particular building, but scenarios based on current practice may also be developed.When developing a maintenance scenario at the building scale, the it should be consistent with the reference service life of each component or building part.Maintenance examples (from EN 15804): Painting work on window frames, doors, etc. as well as the annual inspection and maintenance of the (oil or gas) boiler […].

B-03 Maintenance – product LCA

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Aspect B-03 Maintenance – product LCA
Description
 Product LCAs can have different system boundaries, which can include or exclude maintenance.

related study objective

 ☒ stand-alone LCA ☒ comparative assertion

related study phase

 ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
goal and scope definition inventory analysis (LCI) impact assessment (LCIA) interpretation reporting

relevant for
new buildings existing buildings construction products screening LCA simplified LCA complete LCA
Provisions The consideration of maintenance is subject to the study type definitions. For complete LCA studies, the aspect should be considered in line with the cut-off criteria; for screening and simplified LCA studies, this aspect is optional.
Rules from:

EN 15804

 6.3.4.4.1 General
6.3.4.4.2 B1-B5 Use stage information modules related to the building fabric6.3.5 Criteria for the exclusion of inputs and outputs
Guidance
 For many construction products, no predictable maintenance procedures exist during the product life cycle, e.g. for the studwork in an internal wall or a concrete floor structure. However, for some products, such as flooring, regular cleaning is required. Many products (e.g., windows, internal walls, ceilings) also require regular surface maintenance, e.g. repainting.For complete LCA studies: Maintenance should be considered where it is likely to have a significant impact based on the cut-off rules. Specifically, if maintenance is likely to have more than 5% input by mass of total inputs over life cycle stages B1–B5 it must be considered.Where it is unclear whether an activity should be considered as maintenance, repair, replacement or refurbishment, the most suitable module should be chosen and justified (refer to aspect B-32 ‘Distinction between Modules B2, B3, B4 and B5 for further guidance’).

Maintenance processes at the product level should be considered on the basis of the most likely scenario or scenarios (e.g., Scenario 1, window in Finland vs. Scenario 2, window in Slovenia, other aspects being the same, e.g. orientation, exposure etc. – the likely recommended intervals for repainting the same window will vary depending, on this scenario).

See the section 3.4 on service life planning for guidance on the development of scenarios.

In cost terms, regular maintenance visits to check equipment can be significant, although the only environmental impact is associated with the transport of staff to the site. See aspect A-02 (transport of staff) for more information.

All processes B1 to B5 should include the impacts associated with the process. For maintenance, the impact of producing and transporting the materials used, the impact of the maintenance activity, e.g. water and energy used, and the impact of disposing of any waste produced, e.g. waste water from cleaning, need to be considered. These impacts may be aggregated, and reported as a single process, or broken down and reported separately to enable alternative scenarios to be generated. This may be helpful where there are significant variations between scenarios.