The role of life cycle management in the construction industry

Abstract

Sustainability and reducing environmental impacts are increasingly important in the construction industry, mainly due to the high resource demand and pollutant emissions of the sector. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) of construction products play a key role in achieving these goals, while also increasing competitiveness. These certificates are based on criteria that aim to reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry, produce sustainable and environmentally friendly building materials and minimize emissions. Currently, only a few of the construction products manufactured in Hungary have environmental certificates, while the majority of the products marketed already have EPDs. Domestic certification is mainly limited to concrete products, masonry elements, insulation materials and structural insulated panel (SIP). The article presents the current status of LCA application in the construction industry, as well as the development opportunities for life cycle management (LCM) for more sustainable construction practices. The article examines the domestic product database and summarizes its main results.