A study regarding the environmental impact analysis of the building materials production process (in Turkey)

Life cycle assessment (LCA) of sustainable building materials: an overview

“…The data of the manufacturing process is also a major issue of data quality as it varies greatly from one region to another and from production plant to another (Esin, 2007;Saghafi & Teshnizi, 2011). Additionally, the current LCI databases represent conditions in industrialized countries which may not be equally applicable to developing countries if they want to conduct LCA studies.…”

“…However, since there is no universally accepted definition of a sustainable building material, there is no clear philosophy that precisely articulates the criteria of materials for sustainability. Esin (2007) and Franzoni (2011) state that sustainable building materials are materials related to resource and energy efficiency in the manufacturing process and that these materials should pollute less and have no negative impact on human health. It becomes apparent that sustainable building materials are related to the following criteria:  Resource efficiency;  Energy efficiency (including initial and recurrent embodied energy, and GHG emissions); and  Pollution prevention (including indoor air quality).…”

“…There is good information available on detailing to enhance durability, but materials and components need to have worth for reuse, and this may place an emphasis on the specifications for good quality materials in the first instance. Esin (2007) suggests that resources used for the production of building materials should have been sourced locally in order to save energy and the associated emissions from the transportation of these materials to the project site. Sustainable building materials should be reusable or recyclable in that they can be easily dismantled at the end of their useful life.…”

“…Smaller and regionally based plants and distribution yards will generally improve the overall environmental burden of a building (Berge, 2009). According to Esin (2007), each stage of the manufacturing process and the final assembly on site requires transportation and the energy consumption can take up to approximately 2.2% of the life cycle primary energy consumption. Locally sourced and manufactured materials have the potential to make a significant difference to the overall environmental impacts associated with each stage.…”

“…According to Franzoni (2011) material selection can take place both at an early stage to establish strategies and undergo market research for sustainable building materials as well as at the design development stage where these materials are incorporated into the design. Esin (2007) states that sustainable building materials should be considered at an early stage and must be evaluated from a life cycle perspective as the decision on material choices will impact the overall performance of the building. The life cycle of building materials is often referred to as a "cradle-to-gate" analysis.…”