which is the total amount of Global Warming Potential (GWP) for the building
whole-life. It can be partly calculated by practitioners through the aggregation of
EPDs results for the main building elements (foundations and substructures,
structural frame, external walls, floors and ceilings, internal walls, windows and
roofs), and/or based on a complete cradle-to-grave LCA. The LCA and use of EPDs
provide a quantitative assessment of the building environmental performances,
however, the comparability between two options remains sensitive even if the EPDs
are compliant with the related existing standards and Product Category Rule (PCR).
The use of GPP for buildings in European Nations has been investigated
(Table 1), analysing the use of the LCA approach in GPP criteria and the related
use of EPDs for the LCA in order to understand how the environmental products
labels are used by contracting authorities to verify the GPP criteria achievement.
For each EU member State, Table 1 shows the presence of National Action
Plans (NAP), the adoption of GPP for buildings, the use of the Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA) and the use of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
Table 1 shows a restricted view of the use of LCA and EPDs in GPP for
buildings, however the information found is useful in order to understand how some
EU Nations insert environmental criteria in public procurement. Belgium inserts
LCA in GPP-Office Buildings criteria using the GBRSs (i.e. LEED and BREEAM)
which just involve the life cycle approach in their criteria; Denmark suggests the
use of LCA and EPDs for an environmental products comparison; Lithuania
introduces the LCA and the Life Cycle Costing as mandatory analysis;
Luxembourg introduces voluntary LCA criteria; The Netherlands requires mandatory LCA analysis for groundworks, roads and hydraulic engineering constructions.
The study focused on the Italian GPP requirements for building products, in
order to develop propositions for improving environmental sustainability criteria.
The new Italian procurement code (Codice degli Appalti) requires compulsory
environmental criteria (Criteri Ambientali Minimi–CAMs) to enhance the sustainability process of construction products, of new public and refurbished buildings and of public construction sites management [7]. CAMs criteria are set on three
design reference steps: the sustainable site analysis, in which the considered
building is located; the buildings technical specifications, which include dynamic
energetic simulations, the use of new energy supplies, indoor air quality and
comfort and the materials technical specifications, which set the recycled content
value for specific material categories.
The CAMs criteria related to the environmental sustainability of building
products, do not include LCA. CAMs set mandatory recycled content percentage
value for different material categories (i.e. the concrete must contain at least 5% of
recycled content on the product’s weight, as well as bricks and gypsum plasterboards). The contracting authorities can check the latter criteria achievement with
the use of materials environmental performances issued from environmental/energy
building certifications (i.e. LEED, BREEAM, etc.) and/or construction products
environmental labels (labels type I, II and III). However, the use of EPDs in CAMs
is underestimated, despite for the first time the use of EPDs is incentivised.
Green Public Procurement and Construction Sector: EPD and LCA …
505
whole-life. It can be partly calculated by practitioners through the aggregation of
EPDs results for the main building elements (foundations and substructures,
structural frame, external walls, floors and ceilings, internal walls, windows and
roofs), and/or based on a complete cradle-to-grave LCA. The LCA and use of EPDs
provide a quantitative assessment of the building environmental performances,
however, the comparability between two options remains sensitive even if the EPDs
are compliant with the related existing standards and Product Category Rule (PCR).
The use of GPP for buildings in European Nations has been investigated
(Table 1), analysing the use of the LCA approach in GPP criteria and the related
use of EPDs for the LCA in order to understand how the environmental products
labels are used by contracting authorities to verify the GPP criteria achievement.
For each EU member State, Table 1 shows the presence of National Action
Plans (NAP), the adoption of GPP for buildings, the use of the Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA) and the use of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
Table 1 shows a restricted view of the use of LCA and EPDs in GPP for
buildings, however the information found is useful in order to understand how some
EU Nations insert environmental criteria in public procurement. Belgium inserts
LCA in GPP-Office Buildings criteria using the GBRSs (i.e. LEED and BREEAM)
which just involve the life cycle approach in their criteria; Denmark suggests the
use of LCA and EPDs for an environmental products comparison; Lithuania
introduces the LCA and the Life Cycle Costing as mandatory analysis;
Luxembourg introduces voluntary LCA criteria; The Netherlands requires mandatory LCA analysis for groundworks, roads and hydraulic engineering constructions.
The study focused on the Italian GPP requirements for building products, in
order to develop propositions for improving environmental sustainability criteria.
The new Italian procurement code (Codice degli Appalti) requires compulsory
environmental criteria (Criteri Ambientali Minimi–CAMs) to enhance the sustainability process of construction products, of new public and refurbished buildings and of public construction sites management [7]. CAMs criteria are set on three
design reference steps: the sustainable site analysis, in which the considered
building is located; the buildings technical specifications, which include dynamic
energetic simulations, the use of new energy supplies, indoor air quality and
comfort and the materials technical specifications, which set the recycled content
value for specific material categories.
The CAMs criteria related to the environmental sustainability of building
products, do not include LCA. CAMs set mandatory recycled content percentage
value for different material categories (i.e. the concrete must contain at least 5% of
recycled content on the product’s weight, as well as bricks and gypsum plasterboards). The contracting authorities can check the latter criteria achievement with
the use of materials environmental performances issued from environmental/energy
building certifications (i.e. LEED, BREEAM, etc.) and/or construction products
environmental labels (labels type I, II and III). However, the use of EPDs in CAMs
is underestimated, despite for the first time the use of EPDs is incentivised.
Green Public Procurement and Construction Sector: EPD and LCA …
505