1. LVL AS A CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL Table 1.4. Life cycle stages of building environmental assessment based on EN 15978. LVL 01, Table 1.4.A • muokattu Life cycle stages Module Building life cycle information Product stage A1 Raw material supply A2 Transport A3 Manufacturing Construction process stage A4 Transport A5 Construction installation process Use stage B1 Use B2 Maintenance B3 Repair B4 Replacement B5 Refurbishment B6 Operational energy use B7 Operational water use End of life stage C1 De-construction, demolition C2 Transport C3 Waste processing C4 Disposal Additional information outside the system boundary Potential benefits and loads D Reuse, recovery, recycling potential 1.5.2 Sustainable over the life cycle Wood products offer renewable and sustainable solutions for construction. Wood as a renewable material has a lower global warming impact compared to alternative, non-renewable building materials. The infinite carbon cycle between the atmosphere, growing trees and wood products distinguishes renewable wood from non-renewable materials. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a holistic approach for assessing environmental impacts throughout a product’s or system’s life cycle, from extraction of raw materials to disposal of the product. The principles of LCA have been internationally agreed and standardized with the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards, which enables third-party verification of life cycle calculations. LCA compiles and evaluates the inputs, outputs and potential environmental impacts of a product or system throughout its life cycle. LCA helps manufacturers to identify opportunities to improve the environmental and climate performance of a product and to inform customers and stakeholders. LCA includes four steps; defining of the goal and scope, inventory of material and energy flows, assessment of impacts, and interpretation of results. Environmental performance of buildings and building products The European standard series ‘Sustainability of Construction Works’ (CEN/TC 350) guides the assessment of the sustainability of buildings and building products. The standard series aims to enhance the supply and demand of products and buildings that have as low environmental impact as possible. Environmental assessment of a building is based on the life cycle approach, in which each of the different stages of the building’s life cycle are included and assessed (Figure 1.17). At the product and service level, the environmental product declaration (EPD) applies the life cycle assessment approach and presents quantified environmental information over a product’s life cycle. EPDs enable comparison between different products with the same functional purpose at the building level. In the case of LVL, the comparison is most appropriately done at the structure type level, e.g. structures with the same load carrying capacity and stiffness. The EN 15804 standard provides product category rules (PCR) for an environmental product declaration for any construction product or construction service (Table 1.4). Biogenic carbon content 22 LVL Handbook Europe
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