Sustainable buildings Directorate General for Environment European Commission

Figures and numbers Construction and use of buildings in the EU amounts for: 1/2 of all our extracted materials 1/2 of all our energy consumption 1/3 of all our water consumption 1/3 of all our waste

Sustainable buildings Communication "Resource Efficiency Opportunities in the Building Sector" Adoption in July 2014 To promote a more efficient use of resources consumed by new and renovated commercial, residential and public buildings To reduce the overall environmental impacts throughout the life-cycle of buildings

Two objectives Influence decision-making (by different actors) along the life-cycle of a building by providing relevant and comparable information regarding environmental performance, through the development of a framework with core indicators Increase the use of recycled materials in the construction of buildings, by fostering a better functioning market for recycled and demolition waste (CDW)

Framework - bottlenecks Lack of reliable, comparable and affordable data, methods and tools on which the operators in the supply chain can analyse and benchmark the environmental performance of different solutions Absence of guidance on how to incorporate environmental considerations in purchasing decisions makes it difficult for consumers to trust the market and make informed choices

1) Framework – general benefits Common terminology Build-up of reliable and comparable data Increasing awareness of benefits Effective transfer of good practices Reduced cost to effectively assess performance Provide public authorities with relevant data to support policy initiatives Expand into more countries and markets

1) Framework – specific benefits Architects, designers, manufacturers of construction products, builders, developers and investors - benefit from competitive advantages Manufacturers of construction products - cost savings as they only have to provide product information needed for building assessment in one way Architects and builders - supported via greater information on both product and building level Developers - more easily be able to compare performance of projects Investors, property owners and insurers - able to improve the allocation of capital and to integrate environmental risk into their decisions

indicator areas to investigate Framework – indicator areas to investigate Total energy use Material use Durability of construction products Design for deconstruction Management of construction as well as demolition waste (CDW) Recycled content in construction materials Recyclability and reusability of construction materials and products Water used by buildings The use intensity of (mostly public) buildings Indoor comfort

1) Framework - features Flexible – to be integrated in existing assessment schemes or used on its own Comprehensible – inclusion of guidance on its implementation and use of indicators Useful – to provide relevant comparable data, also converting technical indicators into financial info Free – to be used in decision-making by different actors and in policy-setting at various levels

1) Framework – future steps Collaborative process – cooperate with stakeholders and Member States Two year timeline for first set of indicators, and a roadmap for following stages Build on existing work – technical standards, certification schemes, research projects, developments at international level

2) Market for CDW - bottlenecks (I) Cost externalization – environmental damage costs do not necessarily show up in landfill fees or in cost of primary materials Split incentives – costs of dismantling, separation and processing waste is born at the demolition phase while the potential benefits from using recycled material accrue at the production phase

2) Market for CDW - bottlenecks (II) Market uncertainty – demolition companies face uncertainty regarding demand and construction production manufacturers face uncertainty regarding supply Markets do not develop economies of scale - the amount of recycled materials does not correspond to the potential demand from construction products companies Lagging technology – technologies enabling recycled materials that meet all the technical, safety and environmental requirements for construction products are sometimes still lacking Hard to verify performance – certification attesting that recycled materials meet all requirements sometimes lacking

2) Market for CDW - benefits Environmental benefits – reduction of natural resource depletion; less landfilling and backfilling of waste; lower rate of emissions Economic benefits – lower prices for recycled materials; savings in terms of energy Employment opportunities – job growth in deconstruction, sorting and recycling of construction materials

2) Market for CDW – future steps (I) Promote best practice and collaborate with Member States to divert CDW from landfilling and to integrate external environmental cost in price of virgin material Explore measures to ensure that recycled materials meet necessary quality requirements Explore how benchmarks for content of recycled material via e.g. GPP and environmental management schemes can stimulate demand

2) Market for CDW – future steps (II) Study specific waste streams of CDW to identify opportunities for the valorisation of CDW Develop tools and guidelines for assessment of buildings prior to demolition and renovation to ensure optimal use of CDW Support R&D and demonstration projects in areas such as recycling and production of construction materials from CDW; design for deconstruction, recyclability audits, separation techniques; incentivising producers to use recycled material; collaborative schemes between demolition and construction product sectors aiming at sharing costs and benefits