Category: General
-
2.2 Reference documents for the EeBGuide
The EeBGuide refers to several sources that provide rules and guidance for LCA practitioners. The first such source is the original ISO standards on life cycle assessment, i.e. [ISO 14040] and [ISO 14044]. In addition, the ILCD Handbook provides extended guidance on LCA in general. The ILCD series of technical guidance documents for LCA have been developed…
-
2.3 Procedure for choosing provisions from both CEN TC 350 standards and the ILCD Handbook
The ILCD Handbook was written by a panel of scientific researchers and experts in LCA, whereas the CEN TC 350 standards were written by a panel of building stakeholders as well as LCA experts. The level of detail varies considerably between the CEN standards (around 50 pages) and the ILCD Handbook (around 1000 pages in…
-
2.3.1 EeBGuide provisions for different goal definition: strictness vs. flexibility
LCA has been developed as a flexible system that can be adjusted to answer different kinds of question [CALCAS 2009]. In this context, standardization is always a difficult task, as it is done under a specific goal definition (e.g. EN 15804 is developed for giving rules for EPD). According to [CALCAS 2009], standards contribute to…
-
2.4 Use of three study types
LCA studies can be undertaken to meet a multitude of different goals, and often different goals are addressed in one single study. Depending on its goals, the study will have a different scope and level of detail. Generally speaking, LCA is an iterative process, as illustrated in the ILCD Handbook (see Figure 6). Figure 6:…
-
2.4.1 Screening LCA
Purpose A screening LCA study may serve for an initial (quick) overview of the environmental impacts of a building or a product. The challenge is to adapt the LCA methodology and simplify the use of LCA at the early design stage. With a screening LCA, it is not possible to retrieve detailed results on the…
-
2.4.2 Simplified LCA
Purposes A simplified LCA study can be conducted for a quick assessment of a building or a product. The challenge is to adapt the LCA methodology and simplify its use, but to a more advanced LCA stage than for a screening LCA. With a simplified LCA, a pragmatic approach is applied to a building or…
-
2.4.3 Complete LCA
Purpose A complete LCA study reflects the regular approach to LCA, following ISO 14040/14044. It meets the requirements of ISO 14044, and reflects the basis for comparative assertions and other external communication. It covers the entire building’s or product’s life cycle, and yields a comprehensive view of the environmental performance of the building or product.…
-
2.5 Use of a baseline scenario
Deviations in the final results of product and building LCAs may arise from the use of different sets of parameter values, depending on the goal and scope and according to the study type definitions (see previous section). This can be an issue when comparing the outcomes of research projects. As a result, the methodological approach…
-
3.1 Structure of the guidance document
This guidance document is structured in two parts: one dedicated to the LCA of building products, and the other to the LCA of buildings. Both documents contain a general section covering the implementation of study types, and guidance on how to conduct LCA studies in general. Within the general section, and within sections for the…
-
3.1.1 Implementation of the study type definitions
Table 5 gives specific information about how the three LCA study types (screening, simplified and complete) are currently implemented within the EeBGuide framework. Screening describes the first approach, where most of the information on the building is still very rough (e.g. within the design stage): thus default values of generic assumptions need to be chosen…