Formation of an Austrian EPD-Platform for building products

Status

completed

Abstract

Starting point/Motivation

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are also gaining importance in the building sector, last but not least due to the standardization activities of CEN TC 350 "Sustainability of construction works". Therefore, the project partners initiated the "Austrian EPD-platform for construction products", which is supported by ÖGNB (Austrian Association for Sustainable Building) and ÖGNI (Austrian Association for Sustainable Real Estate).

In spite of comprehensive standardization, a large number of variables still remain undefined and have to be determined in the general program guidelines and product category rules. This concerns in particular all qualitative parameters (additional environmental information) that were not included in CEN TC 350 and requirements for indoor air emissions. But even in the methodology of life cycle analysis (LCA), requirements have been left unregulated (e.g.: which background data should be used).

Contents and Objectives

The objective of the project at hand was to create the general program guidelines for the Austrian EPD platform. The research project was divided into 4 work packages: WP1 "Project management and network", WP2 "Basic guidelines", WP3 "General guidelines for LCA", WP4 "General guidelines for determination of emissions from building materials". The main responsibility for each work package lay with one project partner. All documents were created in close collaboration with the members of the EPD advisory board.

Methods

The general program guidelines were drafted by the EPD advisory board (independent body comparable to a standardization committee). The drafts were put up for public discussion (actively via direct correspondence and passively via the internet), the comments were incorporated. Documents will be adopted by the EPD advisory board soon (04-2013).

Results

The results of the project correspond to the titles of WP2 to WP4. All results will be published, together with general information about the EPD platform, on the website. Prospects The general program guidelines and the comments that came in were discussed in a public workshop on 31 Jan 2013 (after project end). The results of the discussion were incorporated into the documents published in the report on the project results.

Current information relating to the ongoing activities of the "Austrian EPD-platform for construction products" can be found here:
IBO - Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologie GmbH

Projektleitung

Mag. Hildegund Mötzl
IBO - Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologie GmbH

ProjektpartnerInnen

• DI Dr. Franz Dolezal, DI (FH) Dr. Christina Fürhapper
  Österreichische Gesellschaft für Holzforschung
• DI Dr. Ilse Hollerer, DI Dr. Christian Pöhn
  MA 39 - Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt der Stadt Wien

Mag. Hildegund Mötzl
Alserbachstraße 5/8, A-1090 Wien
Tel.: +43 (1) 319 2005-40
E-Mail: hildegund.moetzl@ibo.at
Web: www.ibo.at