Sustainable Insulation Solutions: A lifecycle perspective from
Cradle to Cradle. Tools for implementation
Speakers:
Bermejo Presa, Nicolás1
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SAINT-GOBAIN ISOVER, Madrid, Spain
Abstract Summary: The world is changing at a faster rate than ever before. Whilst advances
in science and technology have improved our quality of life, they have also highlighted how
balanced is our environment.
To address these issues we must change the way we design new buildings and renovate
existing buildings so that we reduce their negative impacts on the environment. The
construction process must preserve unique ecosystems, biodiversity and local landscapes,
whilst ensuring a better quality of life and guaranteeing the health and safety of building
occupants and users. Sustainable construction provides solutions that balance these
sometimes contradictory issues and objectives.
In this presentation, it is showing the real tools for implementation of this system include:
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Interpretation legal requirements to include in EPD
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Different Eco Labels
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The different stages of the building Life Cycle
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Structure of a EPD for a Insulation Products
EPD, environmental Product Declaration, lifecycle, LCA, Life Cycle Assessment,
Insulation, Glass wool, Stone wool, ISOVER,
Impacts in Buildings and Certifications
In developed countries, buildings account for a significant part of resource consumption,
greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generation. Building
sustainably has certainly become a key requirement for
contractors and architects. Regulations and eco labels are
pushing for more sustainable solutions in construction.
Insulating buildings is the most cost effective way to reduce
their energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Up to 90%
of the energy used for heating or cooling can be saved, with
no need for maintenance.
Figure 1: Word Building Impacts (%). Source Earth Trends, 2007
using data from UNEP SBCI, 2006.
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But …….what is it a green building? Is it possible to measurement the sustainability concept
in a building? In fact there are some tools allowing us to measure this concept throw buildings
certifications and products certifications (ecolabels):
BUILDINGS
CERTIFICATIONS
PRODUCTS
CERTIFICATIONS
ECOLABELs
Figure 2: different building certifications and products certifications
Eco labels
There are three types of labels (defined by the ISO 14020 standard). Their reliability varies:
- type I labels are environmental or health mono or multicriteria, issued by third party, private
or public entities, and are subject to variable levels of verification.
- type II labels are non verified self-declarations.
- type III labels are based on life cycle analysis (LCV) performed according to international
standards and so verified by an independent third party.
Life Cycle Assessments are the most reliable techniques to evaluate the environmental impact
of construction solutions and buildings:
1. A rigorous scientific approach
LCA is made of rigorous and scientific calculations, using dedicated software and data
collected directly from the processes.
2. An exhaustive environmental assessment methodology
LCA is the most comprehensive level of environmental assessment covering all stages in the
product life cycle and all environmental impacts.
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3. An essential tool for eco-innovation
The results of the LCA enable the R&D team to work on improving the current product
portfolio, and develop new innovative products with lower environmental impact. This is
called ecoinnovation.
4. The only tool to avoid impact shifting
Using LCA enables in particular design teams to avoid impact shifting when developing new
products.
The European Standard governing this, are following:
Figure 3: different European standards relationships with life cycle assessments
The different stages of the building Life Cycle
A LCA assess the consumption of natural resources, energy and water, emissions and releases
into the air, ground and water, and waste generation.
The impacts are calculated at each stage of the building life, « from cradle to grave », from
the extraction of raw materials, the manufacturing of the products, to their end of life,
following deconstruction or demolition of the building.
A LCA means a Life Cycle Assessment. It is considered the state of the art methodology for
assessing all relevant environmental impacts of a construction product, of a system or of a
building over its entire life cycle. Following international standards (EN 15804 and ISO
21930), a LCA calculates in a rigorous and scientific manner the use of energy, water and
natural resources, the emissions and releases into the air, ground and water, and the waste
generation. These inputs and outputs are calculated at each stage of the building life cycle.
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The building Life Cycle starts at the product stage: raw materials are extracted and processed,
secondary raw materials are selected; everything is transported to a plant where the products
will be manufactured. During the construction stage, building products are transported from
the manufacturing plant to the distributors and to the building site, and installed into the
building. Once construction is complete, the use stage begins, including the maintenance,
repair or replacement of the installed products. At the end-of-life stage, the building is either
deconstructed or demolished; its components are processed for reuse, recovery, recycling or
disposal as waste.
According to EN 15 804 standards, there are different stages that must be taking into account:
PRODUCTION
(Modules A1-A3)
From raw material extraction
to finished product
A1: Raw Materials
A2: Transport
A3: Manufacture
CONSTRUCTION
(Modules A4-A5)
From the plant to the
construction site
A4: Transport
A5: Construction
installation process
USE
(Modules B1-B7)
END OF LIFE
(Modules C1-C4)
Building Use during 50 years
Building end of life
Demolition and recycling
B1: Use
B2: Maintenance
B3: Repair
B4: Replacement
B5: Refurbishment
B6: Operational energy use
B7: Operational water use
C1: Deconstruction
C2: Transport
C3: Waste processing
C4: Disposal
Figure 4: stages according to EN 15804 Standard must be taking into account in a EPD
The PRODUCTION stage of the mineral wool products is subdivided into 3 modules A1, A2
and A3 respectively “Raw material supply”, “transport” and “manufacturing”.
The Raw material supply module takes into account the extraction and processing of all raw
materials and energy which occur upstream to the studied manufacturing process. The
transport to the manufacturer raw materials are transported to the manufacturing site. The
modeling include: road transportations (average values) of each raw material. Manufacture
module includes manufacturing of products and manufacturing of packaging.
The CONSTRUCTION stage is divided into 2 modules: transport to the building site A4 and
installation A5. A4, Transport to the building site includes transport from the production gate
to the building site. A5, Installation in the building: This module includes: Wastage of
products, Additional production processes to compensate for the loss and Processing of
packaging wastes.
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USE stage: Once installation is complete, no actions or technical operations are required
during the use stages until the end of life stage. Therefore mineral wool insulation products
have no impact (excluding potential energy savings) on this stage.
END OF LIFE stage includes the deconstruction and/or dismantling of insolation products
take part of the demolition of the entire building transport to waste processing, waste
processing for reuse, recovery and/or recycling and disposal.
Structure of a EPD for a Insulation Products. External Verification
The verification covers the following main areas:
• The underlying data collected and used for the LCA calculations,
• The way the LCA-based calculations have been carried out to comply with the
calculation rules described in the reference PCR,
• The presentation of environmental performance included in the EPD
• Other additional environmental information included in the declaration, if existent
• Robustness of results
The EPD in compliance with the EN 15.804 and ISO 14.025 standards, the next information
should be included:
•
•
•
•
•
•
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The name and direction of the manufacturer
Description of the intended use and the functional unit. The declared functional unit is
one m2 and makes reference to its isolation capacity (thermal resistance)
Clear product identification including name, model and main characteristics.
Description of the material contents. The material content of the product should be
expressed in a qualitative manner, and not in a quantitative one.
Name and main information of the EPD program operator.
Date of issue of the EPD and validity of 5 years
Information about the life cycle stages of the system included in the EPD: including
all the life cycle
stages as expressed
in EN 15.804
standard.
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Figure 5: EPD Example
•
•
•
•
•
•
A declaration where is said that EPDs not following UNE-EN 15.804 are not
comparable.
Reference to relevant websites for more information.
Information about the verification process
Environmental impact indicators: as stated in UNE-EN 15.804
Indicators of use of resources: as stated in UNE-EN 15.804
Other environmental information describing the different wastes and output flows
Figure 6: EPD Example final data
Comunication plattforms
In order to guaranteed the right way to communication, platform as “Plataforma de
materiales” from GBCe Spain, allowed lock for products
with EPD.
It is a platform that allows architects, builders and
developers, meet the environmental characteristics of
materials, products and systems and how they contribute
to obtaining LEED and GREEN credits certifications.
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Conclusion
In developed countries, buildings account for a significant part of resource
consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generation.
Building
sustainably has certainly become a key requirement for contractors and architects.
Regulations and eco labels are pushing for more sustainable solutions in
construction. Insulating buildings is the most cost effective way to reduce their
energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Up to 90% of the energy used for heating
or cooling can be saved, with no need for maintenance.
The impacts are calculated at each stage of the building life, « from cradle to grave »,
from the extraction of raw materials, the manufacturing of the products, to their end of
life, following deconstruction or demolition of the building.
A LCA means a Life Cycle Assessment. It is considered the state of the art
methodology for assessing all relevant environmental impacts of a construction
product, of a system or of a building over its entire life cycle. Following international
standards (EN 15804 and ISO 21930), a LCA calculates in a rigorous and scientific
manner the use of energy, water and natural resources, the emissions and releases
into the air, ground and water, and the waste generation. These inputs and outputs
are calculated at each stage of the building life cycle.
References
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ISOVER. (2013).: “Aislamiento Sostenible. Manual de declaraciones ambientales
de producto”.
AENOR (2013).: “Sostenibilidad en la construcción. Declaraciones ambientales
de producto. Reglas de categoría de productos básicas para productos de
construcción”. UNE-EN 15804.
ISOVER. (2012).: “Catálogo de Elementos constructivos ISOVER: Obra nueva y
Rehabilitación.”.
AENOR (2006).: “Gestión ambiental. Análisis de ciclo de vida. Requisitos y
directrices.”. UNE-EN ISO 14044.
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