Åsa Jönsson

Life cycle assessment of flooring materials: Case study

The environmental impact of the three flooring materials linoleum, vinyl flooring and solid wood flooring during their life cycles was assessed and compared through life cycle assessment (LCA). The scenarios used describe a Swedish situation. Only impacts on the natural environment were studied The quantitative results of the inventory analysis were evaluated by using three different assessment methods. According to the results, solid wood flooring proved to be clearly the most environmentally sound flooring. Linoleum was ranked as more environmentally sound than vinyl flooring, although this was less evident in comparison with ranking the solid wood flooring.

Tools and methods for environmental assessment of building products—methodological analysis of six selected approaches

Abstract Six approaches to the environmental assessment of building products were analysed, using floorings as an example. The approaches were an LCA study, an eco-label, two ecoguides, a product declaration and an environmental concept (The Natural Step). The analysis focused on the nature of each approach, the types of decision-maker targeted, the overall purpose, the object analysed, the perspective, the dimensions investigated, the character of the approach, the basis for comparisons, system boundaries, types of data, and the evaluation and interpretation of results. It was found that different approaches answer different questions and that stakeholders may need to use different tools for external communication, external decision-making support, and internal development.

LCA of concrete and steel building frames

The effects on the external environment of seven concrete and steel building frames representative of present-day building technology in Sweden were analysed using LCA methodology. Objects of the study included frame construction and supplementary materials. Several-storey offices and dwellings were studied. The functional unit was defined as one average m2 of floor area during the lifetime of the building. Inventory data were elaborated for concrete and steel production, the building site, service life, demolition and final disposal. Parameters included were raw material use, energy use, emissions to air, emissions to water and waste generation. The inventory results were presented and evaluated as such, in addition to an interpretation by using three quantitative impact assessment methods. Parameters that weighed heavily were use of fossil fuels, CO2, electricity, SOx2 NOx2 alloy materials and waste, depending on what assessment method was used. Over the life cycle, building production from cradle to gate accounted for about the same contribution to total environmental loads as maintenance and replacement of heat losses through external walls during service life, whereas demolition and final disposal accounted for a considerably lower contribution.

Is it feasible to address indoor climate issues in LCA

Abstract Life cycle assessment (LCA) is frequently used as a tool for environmental assessment of buildings and building products. Generally, the main focus of LCA is the impact on the regional and global external environment. However, there are important environmental problems related to buildings that arise locally in connection with the indoor environment, such as effects on human health. The approaches of LCA, measurements of emissions from building materials, and indoor climate assessment were studied to see how they relate to each other from a methodological point of view, using volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions as an example. The possibility of including indoor climate issues as an impact category in LCA of building products was investigated. Only very limited aspects of the indoor climate could be addressed in LCA; thus, indoor climate issues are preferably dealt with separately.

Including the use phase in LCA of floor coverings

The results from two previously published case studies were used to assess the importance of use-related emissions from building materials in a life cycle perspective. The first study was an LCA study of linoleum, vinyl flooring, and solid wood flooring, while the second study examined the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted by these floorings. For linoleum and vinyl flooring, the emitted amounts for the use phase are of much the same magnitude as those emitted in the rest of the life cycle, but in the case of solid wood flooring the emissions of the use phase far exceed those of the remaining life cycle. The ranking of the selected floorings in the LCA study did not change when the impact of the use phase was also considered. This study recommends that LCAs should not neglect flooring-related emissions in the use phase when assessing regional and global environmental effects.

Environmental data for production of reinforcement bars from scrap iron and for production of steel products from iron ore in the Nordic countries

Abstract The aim of this project is to collect and compare environmental data for steel products in order to generate data of good quality for each of the Nordic countries. This study gives the environmental data for the production of reinforcement bars and steel products in the Nordic countries together with a short description of the processes. The data are compared and variations are discussed. It has not been possible to allocate the collected data to a single raw material or a single process that would have made the discussion easier. To facilitate the comparison, environmental data for the production of electricity have been excluded, because the production methods differ in the Nordic countries. To show the importance of different factors to the energy consumption, the Danish results have been recalculated and include data for the production of electricity.

The MIIM LCA Ph.D. Club : Presentation and introduction

During 1998, the number of completed Ph.D.s on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) seemed to be larger than any previous year. In order to mark this achievement, a special series is being published in the International Journal of LCA. In this introductory paper, the Class of MUM outline the results of their research work over the last few years. A number of common points and tendencies have emerged through this work. First of all, the scope-dependency of LCA models: some of us have discerned in particular the need to distinguish between descriptive and change-oriented LCAs. Secondly, a number of the theses focus on the interaction between LCA and decision-making. Thirdly, the benefits of pluralism in impact assessment and allocation have been advocated in some of the theses. Finally, it may be noted that in these theses structuring the management of controversial issues seems to be preferred to eliminating such issues by a process of harmonisation. Future papers will map out the intellectual journeys undertaken in the development of these theses and discuss key findings in more detail.