CE Marking of Construction Products—Evolution of the European Approach to Harmonisation of Construction Products in the Light of Environmental Sustainability Aspects

Abstract

European harmonisation of construction products provides a uniform expression of performance aspects relevant for essential characteristics coming from notified technical building regulations of the EU Member States. Since the current regulation has been in force for over seven years, this study evaluates further possibilities of its evolution, including a more efficient approach to implementing environmental sustainability aspects. The provided research is based on qualitative analysis of the past and current legislation, official documents, related guidance, judgements, scientific articles and the author’s practical experience coming from participation in the European committees, organisations and standardisation activities. Various legislative techniques and regulatory tools that could be potentially used to review the Construction Products Regulation are analysed and compared with regards to their impact on the inclusion of environmental sustainability principles. Therefore, the objective of this research is to provide substantive grounds that can be directly or indirectly used in the policymaking processes on the European and national level.

Artificial Weathering Resistance Test Methods for Building Performance Assessment of Profiles Made of Natural Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites

“…The fitness of NFPC profiles for civil engineering applications, similarly to other construction materials, should be assessed according to the sustainable development concept, based on the usability criterion, by determining a collection of key features for the particular application [ 13 ]. The assessment is carried out from the angle of the product’s influence on a building structure’s fulfilling the seven essential requirements [ 14 ], according to the regulation of the European Parliament and the Council (EU) No. 305/2011 (CPR) [ 15 ].…”

The infl uence of cement on the environmental performance of construction products on the example of cementitious adhesives – External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems [ETICS] components

“…In this work, an analysis of the environmental impact of cement, which is a component of adhesives used in the External Thermal Insulation Composite System [ETICS], was carried out. The study on four indicators, i.e., global warming potential [GWP], soil and S. Czernik, B. Michałowski, J. Tomaszewska, J. Michalak, Cement Wapno Beton, 27(1) (2022), [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] doi: https://doi.org/10.32047/CWB.2022.27.1.2 KE zdecydowała, że jego osiągniecie nastąpi w wyniku oddzielenia wzrostu gospodarczego od zużycia zasobów naturalnych, a żadna osoba ani żaden region nie pozostaną w tyle (3).…”

“…The construction products market in the EU has been regulated requirement is the sustainable use of natural resources. However, so far, the AVCP of construction products in terms of sustainable use of natural resources is not mandatory, but only voluntary (14).…”

The Utility of Recycled Rice Husk-Reinforced PVC Composite Profiles for Façade Cladding

“…In line with the concept of sustainable development, fitness for construction is assessed on the basis of utility by identifying a set of key performance properties for a given application [ 22 , 23 ]. The assessment is carried out in the context of the product’s impact on the building’s compliance with the seven basic requirements [ 24 ], in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (CPR) [ 25 ]. With regard to façade cladding profiles, it is essential to determine the thermal and mechanical properties of the product, taking into account the influence of environmental factors.…”