Skip to main content

Tag: Lifecycle stage: C (all modules)

8.1 Overview

Written on .

This chapter addresses aspects that are related to life cycle stage C. All the aspects of this chapter provide provisions, rules and guidance for the goal and scope definition and the inventory analysis steps according to [ISO 14040] and [ISO 14044]. The following list describes the aspects addressed in Module C.

8      Aspects concerning Module C – End of Life stage

 

 

C-01 End-of-waste status

Written on .

Aspect C-01 End-of-waste status
Description
 Different countries define a waste’s end-of-waste status at different points in the waste treatment or recycling process. How should the end-of-waste state be defined?

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 provisions in EN 15804, which are copied from the European Waste Directive, should be followed. They include the definition, when the end-of-waste state is reached. Based on the end-of-waste state, module D is used: further processing of materials that have reached the end-of-waste state (e.g. recycling, energy recovery, etc.) is covered from module D. The definition of the end-of-waste status is given in the European Waste Directive [European Directive 2008/98/CE, see article 6]. This also means that national rules (the implementation of the Directive into national legislation) on the specific definition of the end-of-waste status should be applied, if available and appropriate.
Rules from:

EN 15804

 

 6.3.4.2 Product stage: End-of-Waste definition of this standard applies also to raw materials or products manufactured outside Europe.
6.3.4.5 End-of-life stage: Definition of the end-of-waste status
Guidance
 EN 15804 follows the Waste Framework Directive in setting the system boundary at the end-of-waste state using the same criteria.These end-of-waste criteria are used for assessing the system boundary for the waste treatment of construction products at the end of life stage (C3), but also for setting the system boundary for the input of secondary/waste material and secondary fuel to manufacturing (A1–A3), and for deciding the system boundary for wastes arising from all life cycle stages, including manufacturing (A1–A3), construction (A5) and use (B2–B5).The Waste Framework Directive, as with other EU directives, is implemented individually within each EU Member State. This means that the same material may be considered a waste in one Member State but to have reached the end-of-waste state in another Member State. This may be, for example, because the material is commonly used for one purpose in one Member State but not in another, or because a market for the material exists in one Member State that does not exist in another, or because national legislation in one Member State prevents the use of the material in that Member State.

The end-of-waste state for waste in Europe is considered to be reached when the material is no longer considered a waste under the national implementation of the Waste Framework Directive. This means that the rules of the (national) context of a study should be applied in the first place. If the waste arises or is treated outside Europe, EN 15804 is clear that the same rules regarding the end-of-waste state (i.e. from the Waste Framework Directive) should be applied, irrespective of legislation in the relevant country.  In this case, the LCA practitioner should consider the end-of-waste criteria and apply them to the waste to decide the end-of-waste state, and justify this in the background report.

By the same argument, within Europe, the LCA practitioner can also consider the end-of-waste criteria and apply them to wastes produced in Europe, and set a different end-of-waste state than national implementation of the Waste Framework Directive. In this case, the decision must be stated and justified in the background report.

For example, a trade association study covering products produced in several Member States may choose a conservative/worst-case choice for the end-of-waste state for secondary/waste material/fuel inputs if the material/fuel has different status in different Member States.

It would not be appropriate to take a best-case choice based on the end-of-waste state in another Member State if the situation where the waste is produced is completely different. For example, another Member State may have a common use and active market for a material, and the end-of-waste state may be set at the point where the waste is collected. The manufacturer, however, produces the same waste in a location where there is no common usage or market for the waste. In this case it would not be appropriate to use the situation in another Member State to decide the end-of-waste state, if this meant the manufacturer was able to avoid the burdens of waste treatment associated with the waste to achieve the national end-of-waste state where the recovered material had a more local common usage and active market. This follows the ‘polluter pays’ principle underlying EN 15804.

C-02 End of life (EoL) scenarios

Written on .

Aspect C-02 End of life (EoL) scenarios
Description
 In different countries, various options exist for the end of life of products and materials. Should general scenarios be defined for end-of-life routes?

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 EoL scenarios are based on current treatment technologies for the most common materials. They have to be defined depending on each national context, as scenarios are likely to vary nationally.Sensitivity analyses are possible to assess the impact of the future mix of waste treatment options. This aspect is likely to be predefined in every national EPD programme. It may be advisable to adopt rules from the national EPD programme that refer to the context of the product LCA study.
Rules from:

EN 15804

 

 5.4 Additional information
6.3.4.6 End-of-life stage
6.3.8 Developing product scenarios
7.3 Scenarios and additional technical information
7.3.4 End of life
Guidance
 End-of-life scenarios may be given within national building certification schemes or EPD programmes. For example, for Germany, one may refer to the DGNB scheme (e.g. criteria 1 to 5): predefined EoL scenarios for different classes of materials.Current practice should be used for developing scenarios. Additional technical information, describing the technical conditions underlying scenarios and characterizing the product’s technical and functional performance during the optional EoL life cycle stages, must be provided if a scenario is assessed.The default scenario should be based on actual achievement in current waste management practice, and not on what might happen in 50 years’ time. It is important to use average recovery rates based on the mix of recovery techniques used and not the best case, although additional scenarios can be used to illustrate the effect of the different waste management options that are available. Geographically, the default scenario may vary: for example, a waste may be more commonly landfilled in one Member State, used for energy recovery in another Member State, and recycled in another Member State.For each material, the percentage of end-of-life material typically going to various end-of-life options, such as landfill, incineration, energy recovery, recycling or reuse, should be estimated. This may be provided by the EPD programme, or may be available through national statistics or building-level schemes.

EoL scenarios can be provided for each EoL option. These may be useful if the product is sold in more than one Member State, as EoL options may differ significantly across Member States. Such scenarios also provide guidance on the most advantageous EoL option currently available. This is useful, for example, in determining the best way to dispose of construction waste arising.

Alternatively, or additionally, a single EoL scenario can be provided for the typical mix of EOL options, or the most common EoL option. This procedure is less useful and informative.

Material-specific models for waste treatment may be relevant for particular materials, to take account of emissions or the amount of energy recovery; otherwise generic models of inert waste in landfill or non-hazardous waste incineration can be used.

C-03 Choice of data

Written on .

Aspect C-03 Choice of data
Description
 Should generic (material specific) or product-specific data be used?

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 Recycling processes are always specific to a product or material. Thus the provisions in EN 15804 should be referred to. This aspect is likely to be predefined in every national EPD programme, and may be adopted within the context of the conducted LCA study.
Rules from:

EN 15804

 

 6.3.4.6 End-of-life stage
6.3.6 Selection of data
6.3.8 Developing product scenarios
7.3 Scenarios and additional technical information
7.3.4 End of life
Guidance
 Current practice should be used for scenarios. Material-specific models for waste treatment may be relevant for particular materials, to take account of emissions or the amount of energy recovery. Also, public and commercial background LCA databases provide material-specific datasets that may be used.The default scenario should be based on actual achievement in current waste management practice, and not on what might happen in 50 years’ time. It is important to use average recovery rates based on the mix of recovery techniques used and not the best case, although additional scenarios can be used to illustrate the effect of the different waste management options that are available. Geographically, the default scenario may vary: for example, a waste may be more commonly landfilled in one Member State, used for energy recovery in another Member State, and recycled in another Member State. It may be advisable to use product-specific end-of-life datasets.

C-04 Waste classification

Written on .

Aspect C-04 Waste classification
Description
 How should output wastes be classified: as e.g. inert, non-hazardous, hazardous?

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 model should reflect the real situation. The classification into three types – hazardous, non-hazardous and inert waste – should be performed according to article 4 of the Landfill Waste Directive 1999/31.This aspect is likely to be predefined in every national EPD programme scheme, and may be adopted within product LCA studies that are made within the same context.
Rules from:

EN 15804

 6.3.4.6 End-of-life stage
6.3.8 Developing product scenarios7.2.5 Other environmental information describing different waste categories and output flows
7.3 Scenarios and additional technical information
7.3.4 End of life
Guidance
 Current practice should be used for scenarios. Specific models for waste treatment may be relevant for particular materials, to take account of emissions, or of the amount of energy recovery. EN 15804 requires that the total amounts of inert, non-hazardous and hazardous waste, measured at the system boundary, be reported. All waste covered by the Waste Framework Directive should be classified within the European Waste Classification system, and it should be possible to report these figures.

8.1. Overview

Written on .

This chapter addresses aspects that are related to life cycle stage C. All the aspects of this chapter provide provisions, rules and guidance for the goal and scope definition and the inventory analysis steps according to [ISO 14040] and [ISO 14044]. The following list describes the aspects addressed in Module C.

8.  Aspects concerning Module C

Back to EeBGuide Guidance Document Part B: BUILDINGS

C-01 Demolition/deconstruction – screening and simplified LCA

Written on .

Aspect C-01 Demolition/deconstruction – screening and simplified LCA
Description
 The deconstruction and demolition stage involves quantification of the impact related to the end of life of the constructed system. For example, if it is a reinforced concrete building, deconstruction activity will consist mainly in separating the reinforcing steel from the concrete. During this operation, energy is consumed, and pollutants are emitted to the air. In this context, should the demolition and deconstruction stage be considered in the context of a screening or 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 demolition and deconstruction aspects may be included for screening and simplified LCA. Generic data should be taken from LCA databases if available.
Rules from:
 EN 15978:

8.7.2 Scenarios for deconstruction – Module C1

EN 15804:

6.2.6 C1-C4 End-of-life stage information modules
Guidance
 Depending on the goal and scope of the study, this aspect may be neglected, owing to its minor relevance.The practitioner may use ratios based on the materials impact (e.g. 3% for GWP in the case of concrete) if the purpose of the assessment is to obtain a rough estimate of the end of life for specific impact categories.Very few LCA data are currently available in every national context. One option is to use existing generic LCA data on the impact of demolition and the deconstruction process (e.g. the impact of sorting the reinforcing steel from the concrete at the end of life of the building). Such generic LCA data can be found e.g. in the Ecoinvent database.

The practitioner should be aware that the data on demolition process may not be fully adapted to the context. Another option is to define generic data with stakeholders (collection of specific data).

C-02 Demolition/deconstruction – complete LCA

Written on .

Aspect C-02 Demolition/deconstruction – complete LCA
Description
 The deconstruction and demolition stage involves quantification of the impact related to the end of life of the constructed system. For example, if it is a reinforced concrete building, deconstruction activity will consist mainly in separating the reinforcing steel from the concrete. During this operation, energy is consumed, and pollutants are emitted to the air. In this context, should the demolition and deconstruction stage be considered in the context of a complete 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 demolition and deconstruction aspects should be included for a complete LCA. Generic or specific data should be taken from LCA databases or other relevant sources if available, unless they fall under cut-off rules.
Rules from:
 EN 15978:
8.7.2 Scenarios for deconstruction – Module C1

EN 15804:
6.2.6 C1-C4 End-of-life stage information modules
Guidance
 The practitioner should use detailed calculation (based on specific data) for a complete LCA. The energy, materials and related emissions of these processes should be included. However, very few LCA data are currently available in every national context. One option is to use existing generic LCA data on the impact of demolition and the deconstruction process (e.g. the impact of sorting the reinforcing steel from the concrete at the end of life of the building). Such generic LCA data can be found e.g. in the Ecoinvent database or in the Greenest Building, which provides indicative demolition energies for various building types (see exhibit 2). The practitioner should be aware that the data on demolition process may not be fully adapted to the context. Another option is to define generic data with stakeholders (collection of specific data). For most construction projects this aspect is likely to fall under the cut-off rules, and may be omitted.
  • 1
  • 2