Life cycle assessment, grey energy, circular economy

A better understanding of environmental issues requires an increasingly detailed knowledge of the impact on the environment and human health of the composition, manufacture, use and end-of-life of products. Materials should be specified on the basis not only of their intrinsic qualities, but also of their Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This method determines the environmental impact of each phase of a product's life, "from cradle to grave", by assessing the inputs (raw materials, energy) and outputs (waste). These impacts are summarized in Environmental and Health Declaration Sheets (EHDS) for professionals and private individuals. The embodied energy of building materials and equipment, i.e. the energy used in their design, manufacture, transport and end-of-life disposal, must also be taken into account in a building's overall energy balance. Last but not least, the construction industry must seek to apply the notion of the circular economy, whose main objective is to preserve natural resources. In addition to recycling, the circular economy is applied through industrial ecology, eco-design of products, re-use, etc.