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

Abstract

The construction sector is one of the branches of the economy with a significant impact on the environment. It uses a vast amount of different raw materials. Also, it produces substantial amounts of waste and emits high amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Reducing the energy consumption and emissivity of buildings, decarbonizing existing energy sources, optimizing the use of renewable energy, and minimizing the carbon footprint of materials and construction works are imperative to counteract climate change. It is also a minimum plan for ensuring sustainable social development. The current environmental policy in the construction sector is insufficient and it results from the legal regulations currently in force. Assessment of construction products for the seventh basic requirement, sustainable use of natural resources, is voluntary and almost always neglected. Assessment tools, such as Type III Environmental Product Declarations [EPDs] for construction products, are not widely used. Moreover, these documents are poorly recognizable among consumers, proving that there is still insufficient environmental awareness. In addition, the emerging differences in environmental impact indicators values specified in environmental declarations, resulting from using differentiated approaches in setting system boundaries or the quality of available generic data, do not support the proper development of knowledge about the impact of construction products on the environment. 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 water acidification potential [AP], eutrophication potential [EP], and tropospheric ozone formation potential [POCP], was performed.