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Ares(2019)566331 - 31/01/2019
D6.2. Report on Strategy and proposal for measures to be undertaken towards
Standardization and Certification
Holistic Innovative Solutions for an
Efficient Recycling and Recovery of Valuable Raw Materials
from Complex Construction and Demolition Waste
D 6.2 Report on Strategy and proposal for measures to

be undertaken towards Standardization and
Certification
Version number: 1.0
Dissemination Level: Public
Lead Contractor: RINA SERVICES
Due date: 31/01/2019 (m48)
Deliverable Type: Report
1
Published in the framework of:
HISER – Holistic Innovative Solutions for an Efficient Recycling and Recovery of Valuable Raw Materials
from Complex Construction and Demolition Waste
HISER website: www.hiserproject.eu
Authors
F. Arnesano – RINA-S - RINA SERVICES – Real Estate and Green Buildings Services
E. Balossino – RINA-S - RINA SERVICES – Real Estate and Green Buildings Services
N. Di Somma – RINA-S - RINA SERVICES – Real Estate and Green Buildings Services
C. Landini – RINA-S - RINA SERVICES – Real Estate and Green Buildings Services
Revision and history chart
VERSION DATE EDITORS COMMENT

E. Balossino
0.1 10/01/2019 Draft Issue to Partners
F. Arnesano
Final version integrating
1.0 31/01/2019 E. Balossino
comments from partners
Disclaimer:
The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
program under grant agreement No 642085.
The content of this report does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Responsibility
for the information and views expressed in the therein lies entirely with the author(s).
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Table of content
Table of content ............................................................................................................... 3
Acronyms ......................................................................................................................... 5
List of tables ..................................................................................................................... 6
List of figures .................................................................................................................... 6
1. Introduction............................................................................................................... 8
2. European Union Directives, Regulations and Standards concerning materials from

CDW ................................................................................................................................. 9
3. Construction Products Regulation n. 305/2011 (CPR) ................................................ 12

3.1. European Harmonized Standards.......................................................................................... 14
3.2. European Technical Assessment (ETA).................................................................................. 16
3.3. CE marking ............................................................................................................................. 17
4. Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) ........................................................... 20
5. Environmental Labels and Declarations according to ISO 14020 Series ...................... 22

5.1. Environmental Labels Type I – ISO 14024:2018 .................................................................... 24
5.2. Self-Declared Environmental Claims Type II – ISO 14021:2016 ............................................ 27
5.3. Environmental Declarations Type III – ISO 14025:2006 ........................................................ 30
6. Product Environmental Footprint ............................................................................. 35
7. Green building certification schemes promoting resource efficiency ......................... 37
8. State of the art and possible improvements for materials and products considered
under HISER Project ........................................................................................................ 41
8.1. Cements Technical Standards ............................................................................................... 41
8.1.1. Harmonised and Technical Standards ........................................................................... 42
8.1.2. Environmental Labels and Declarations ........................................................................ 44
8.1.3. Other certifications........................................................................................................ 48
8.1.4. Normative references.................................................................................................... 48
3
8.1.5. Gap Analysis and possible improvement ...................................................................... 49

8.2. Concrete and Recycled Aggregates ....................................................................................... 52
8.3. Bricks ..................................................................................................................................... 64
8.4. Gypsum.................................................................................................................................. 71
8.5. Composites (WPCs – wood polymer composites) Technical Standards ............................... 77
9. Workshop as exploitable result of the strategy and measures proposed to

Standardization and Certification .................................................................................... 82
10. Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 84
References ...................................................................................................................... 87
4
Acronyms
B2B - Business to business
B2C - Business to customers
BWR - Basic requirement for construction works; referred to as basic works requirement
CDW – Construction and Demolition Waste
CEN - European Committee for Standardization
CENELEC - European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
CPD - Construction Products Directive (EU) No 89/106/EEC
CPR - Construction Products Regulations Construction Products Regulation (EU) No 305/2011
DoP – Declaration of Performance
EN – European Standard
EPD – Environmental Product Declaration
ETSI - European Telecommunications Standards Institute
hEN – Harmonised European standard
ISO – International Organization for Standardization
NSB – National Standard Body
PCR – Product Category Rules
SVHC - Substances of very high concern (relates to REACH)
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List of tables
Table 1: Main differences between the types of environmental labelling. .......................................... 24

Table 2. Parameters describing environmental impacts for impact categories considered to be
sufficiently reliable for communication purposes................................................................................. 37
Table 3: Thematic Areas in Level(s) framework .................................................................................... 39
Table 4: Project stages at which indicator 2.3 can be used .................................................................. 41
Table 5 - Examples of raw materials for Portland cement manufacture .............................................. 42
List of figures
Figure 1 – Certification conceptual workflow ....................................................................................... 11

Figure 2 – Circular economy chart ........................................................................................................ 14
Figure 3 – Example of Annex ZA ........................................................................................................... 15
Figure 4 - ETA process (from EOTA: European Organisation for technical assessment) ...................... 17
Figure 5 – CE marking flowchart............................................................................................................ 18
Figure 6 – Systems of AVCP and levels of involvement of notified bodies ........................................... 19
Figure 7 – Example of Declaration of Performance .............................................................................. 20
Figure 8 – ETV Protocol Structure ......................................................................................................... 21
Figure 9 – ETV Program Logo. ............................................................................................................... 22
Figure 10 - Environmental-Labelling Classification. .............................................................................. 23
Figure 11 – Example of Declaration of Type I according to ISO 14024: Ecolabel EU, Blue Angel and
Nordic Swan........................................................................................................................................... 26
Figure 12 -Example of Self-Declared environmental Claims Type II according to ISO 14021: Mobius
Loop and Green ..................................................................................................................................... 29
Figure 13 – International EPD® System’s Logo ...................................................................................... 31
Figure 14 – Facts that are included in an EPD ....................................................................................... 31
Figure 15 - Process for EPD development ............................................................................................. 32
Figure 16 - Phases of PCR development in the International EPD® System.......................................... 33
Figure 17: Framework of the coordinated action to support the Level(s) development. .................... 38
Figure 18: Overview of the Level(s) framework. ................................................................................... 39
Figure 19 - Overview of PCR 2012:01 and its sub-PCR (H) to create an EPD ........................................ 44
Figure 20 - Cement manufacturing process from quarry to dispatch. .................................................. 46
Figure 21 – Relationships between EN 206 and standards for design and execution .......................... 54
6
Figure 22 – Extract from EN 12620:2002+A1:2008 Table 20 “Categories for constituents of coarse

recycled aggregates” ............................................................................................................................. 58
Figure 23 – System boundary for ready-mixed and site mixed concrete (EN 16757:2017). ................ 59
Figure 24 – Typical processes at the end-of-life of concrete and concrete product (EN 16757:2017). 60
Figure 25 - Overview of PCR 2012:01 and this sub-PCR (G) to create an EPD ...................................... 60
Figure 26 - Overview of PCR 2012:01 and its sub-PCRs to create EPDs with different scopes ............. 67
Figure 27 – Agenda of the workshop .................................................................................................... 83
Figure 28 – Pictures of the workshop.................................................................................................... 83
Figure 29 – HISER webpage ................................................................................................................... 84
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1. Introduction
This Report has been developed by RINA SERVICES S.P.A. in order to identify and evaluate possible
strategies and proposals that should be undertaken towards Standardization and Certification of the
construction products developed under HISER Project, whose aim is to develop and demonstrate novel
cost-effective technological and not-technological holistic solution for higher recovery of raw materials
from ever more complex C&D waste.
As regards C&D waste, today all the 28 European countries generate almost 461 million of tons per
year (CDW) with average recycling rates of around 46%. Following European studies1, C&D waste
represent, today, almost the 33% of the entire volume of European waste traffics. A proper
management of C&D Waste could guarantee considerable benefits from an environmental point of
view. Less use of raw materials and reduction of energy consumption for production processes, for
example, represent some of the most interesting issues. With the Waste Framework Directive, the
European Union is intended to achieve the target of 70% of C&D waste recycled by 2020.
One of the most common obstacles to the recycling and reuse of C&D waste in the EU is the lack of
confidence in the quality of C&D recycled materials in terms of potential health risk for workers. Due
to this lack of confidence, there is nowadays a limited demand for these materials. For example, some
stakeholders require regulation and certification of the quality of reclaimed construction materials
(comparable to the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) which offers a common language and
harmonised standards for new construction products), which could allow for a wide exchange of
reprocessed, recycled and re-used materials, giving confidence in their performance and quality.
In this Deliverable is studied in deep the availability of information in current standards about the
content of recycled product for the construction materials involved on HISER project:
• Cements and aggregates

• Concrete
• Bricks
• Gypsum
• Wood plastic composites
This Report is the second deliverable of a series of two documents (D6.1 and D6.2) on Policies and
Standards within HISER Project, as foreseen in the Work Package 6 (WP6) “Policies and Standards
recommendations”. The objectives of WP6 are to set up the basis for changes in policies and standards
(in order to favor the recovery of materials from demolition works such as recycled raw material) and
to promote the recovery and processing of the construction and demolition waste into intermediate
or finished product and the secondary raw material. As the construction sector is experiencing
increasing complexity and more intense competitiveness, industries and SMEs have to put on the
market innovative products bringing together safety, energy performance, resource efficiency, health
and more in general sustainability, into an integrated, interoperable approach taking in consideration
1
UE Protocol for the management of C&D Waste. September 2016.
8
circular economy, climate action and the digital economy. As innovation and research are strictly
linked, a permanent dialogue between research and the European industry in key strategic sectors is
necessary to strengthen the link and exchange of experiences between the involved stakeholders.
Together with science and research, Standards have an important role in innovation and supporting
the market uptake of innovative products, as they enable knowledge transfer and support the shift
from research to market, contributing to the competitiveness of the construction industry. The
purpose of standardization is to provide a reliable basis allowing people to share similar expectations
of a product or service. This helps to:
• facilitate trade;
• provide a framework for achieving economies, efficiencies and interoperability;
• enhance consumer protection and confidence.
RINA’s goal, at this stage of the HISER project, is to:
• Collect the standards and certifications on the market

• Analyze standard and certification gaps on the market
• Give indications on how to fill the gaps to be able to use the materials analysed in the project
in the European Union.
This document will analyse the Community regulations dealing with CDW materials, followed by the
analysis of the principal markings and labels that would allow and encourage the free circulation of
these materials within EU market; after the analysis of the state of the art for each product, a critical
overview is carried out on the need of improvement of standards and certifications for innovative
materials developed within HISER (cement, concrete with recycled aggregates, bricks, gypsum, and
wood plastic composites-WPC).
2. European Union Directives, Regulations and Standards concerning

materials from CDW
The development of Directives, Regulations and Standards for construction products within the EU
needs to be seen in the context of the desire by the European Commission to create a single European
market for goods and services. The objective is to eliminate any artificial barriers to trade within this
market. To achieve this, they want to create a system within which a customer will have confidence
that a product or service purchased anywhere within the EU will be basically fit for purpose and safe.
In an open and competitive EU market, companies produce their products using the materials they
consider most suitable for their needs. When waste has been treated to be put back on the market,
these recovered materials are in direct competition with raw materials. Therefore, for any recovered
material, its competitive position in the market is strongest when it is as close as possible to the raw
material in terms of performance and quality. This allows a wider range of uses of the recovered
material.
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The most important issues related to HISER objectives deal with:
- Construction materials issues, concerning both technical/performance issues and health,

safety and environmental issues
- Waste issues
These issues are both already considered under EU Directives:
- Construction materials issues are mainly covered by Construction Products Regulation n.

305/2011 (CPR)
- Waste issues are mainly covered by Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC)
Both of them are continuously subject to revision and implementation due to:
- technical evolution, development and marketing of new products (Harmonised Standards are
constantly under update and also a possible review of the Construction Products Regulation
has been announced in November 20162);
- evolution of EU objectives (for example Directive 2008/98/EC is nowadays subject to a
proposal of amendment in order to make its objective better reflect the Union's ambition to
move to a circular economy3).
The last European Union directives related to products, known as the "New Approach Directives",
define the "essential requirements" related to health, safety and environmental issues to be met by
any product in order to be placed on the European market. The three European Standards
Organizations, CEN (European Committee for Standardization), CENELEC (European Committee for
Electrotechnical Standardization) and ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) enable
these requirements to be fulfilled through the path of harmonized European Standards. Thanks to this,
they access 34 countries and reach over 500 million consumers who can benefit from safe and
environment-friendly products and services4.
All the construction products should in general comply with the essential requirements set by the
aforementioned Directives and in particular get the CE marking which is compulsory for the products
covered by the New Approach Directives. As mentioned before, CE marking is mandatory for certain
product groups (including construction products covered by CPR) to be traded and safely used within
the EU. In order to get a CE marking, a construction product must be covered by the harmonised
2
Following the publication of the July 2016 implementation report, the Communication “Clean Energy for all
Europeans” announced a possible revision of the Construction Products Regulation in November 2016.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52016DC0860
3
The revised legislative proposal on waste sets clear targets for reduction of waste and establishes an
ambitious and credible long-term path for waste management and recycling. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52015PC0595
4
https://www.cenelec.eu/aboutcenelec/whatwestandfor/supportlegislation/newapproachdirectives.html
10
standards, or alternatively by a European Technical Assessment (ETA) providing information on its

performance.
Figure 1 – Certification conceptual workflow
However, the current CE marking procedures for construction products today do not expressly include
innovative construction products derived from C&D waste. CE marking requirements and test
procedures described in the harmonised standards generally apply to products coming from factory
production (where type testing and factory production can be controlled through standardized
procedures ensuring that the product always have the same quality and characteristics), while when
using recovered materials from different sources (and different last intended use) instead of raw
materials it can be difficult to standardize the production control process. Anyway, if all the
characteristics of the innovative product are tested and verified as in the standard product, no further
historical data need to be investigated.
CE marking is the only mark required to guarantee that a construction product put on the market
meets the requirements of the CPR, but it is not a quality mark. Nevertheless, manufacturers can use
voluntary marks together with the CE marking, provided that these voluntary marks do not bring
confusion with the CE mark and bring an added value. For instance, they could follow from assessing
some characteristics which are not covered in the CE marking and give a third-party guarantee or
certification that the construction product complies with the declared performance or declare that a
product is fit for a specific use, provided this is not already included in the harmonised standard for
the product. For example, a product can be distinguished on the market for its environmental
performance through environmental labels or certification schemes:
- Environmental Technology Verification (as foreseen by the EU ETV General Verification
Protocol)
- Environmental Labels and Declarations (as foreseen by ISO 14020 to 14025 series)
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- Product Environmental Footprint (as foreseen by Commission Recommendation of 9 April

2013 on the use of common methods to measure and communicate the life cycle
environmental performance of products and organisations).
These labels and certifications assess the performance of the product against environmental issues but
not necessarily against health and safety issues: for these issues each Member State within the
European Community addresses national laws and regulations for construction works, in order to
ensure they are carried out with adequate levels of safety towards people, things and the environment.
3. Construction Products Regulation n. 305/2011 (CPR)
Before 1989 in the construction sector there were a number of national product standards and
technical specifications, which impeded the free movement of construction products within the
member States of the European Union. The European directive n. 89/106/EEC of 21 December 1988,
also known as CPD (Construction Product Directive), was the first directive intending to close the gap
between the Community countries due to different legislations. This directive on construction products
aimed to eliminate technical barriers to trade in this sector, by providing a common technical language
to assess the performance of construction products and ensuring that reliable information is available
to professionals, public authorities and consumers, so they can compare the performance of products
from different manufacturers in different countries. Directive 89/106/EEC introduced the definition of
harmonized standards for the production and marketing of construction products among EU countries,
and the duty of a European technical certification mark (CE Marking) to be affixed on construction
products, which has been one of the cornerstones of the current European System. It was applicable
to all products present "permanently" both in civil buildings and in other types of constructions. In
order to overcome the obstacles to the free trade of construction products between the European
Union countries (constituted by the variety of national laws on construction products) essential
requirements for safety and public health were defined. These essential requirements included
mechanical strength and stability, fire safety, health and environmental hygiene, safety in use, noise
protection, energy economy and heat retention. For the certification of the above-mentioned
requirements, the Directive 89/106/EEC referred to specific technical texts for the determination of
the performance of each individual construction product: the Harmonized Standards. Once the
compliance to these requirements (defined by the harmonized standards) was demonstrated, it was
therefore possible to declare the conformity of the construction product to the CPD 89/106/EEC
through a Declaration of Conformity and, consequently, issue the CE marking necessary for the
marketing of the product within Europe.
Directive 89/106 EEC remained in full force until 2011. On 24 April 2011 was published the
“Construction Products Regulation (EU) No. 305/2011” (CPR) with the aim of achieving the objectives
of Directive 89/106/EEC (to collect and harmonize the legislative, regulatory and administrative
positions of the Member States concerning construction products) but also clarifying the current
legislation and improving the transparency and effectiveness of the measures in place. The intent
12
therefore consisted in the replacement of Directive 89/106/EEC through a partial repeal. As stated in
art.68 of the CPR 305/2011, in fact, Articles 3 to 28, Articles 36 to 38, Articles 56 to 63, Article 65 and
Article 66 as well as the annexes I, II, III and V entered into force on 1 July 2013.
As the previous CPD, the Construction Products Regulation deals with any construction product5 or kit6
which is produced and placed on the market to be incorporated, in a permanent manner, in
construction works (or parts thereof) and whose performance influences the performance of the
construction works with respect to the Basic requirements for construction works (BRCW):
1. Mechanical resistance and stability
2. Safety in case of fire
3. Hygiene, health and the environment
4. Safety and accessibility in use
5. Protection against noise
6. Energy economy and heat retention
7. Sustainable use of natural resources
The CPR has introduced simplified procedures for CE marking by replacing the Declaration of
Conformity with the Declaration of Performance (DoP). These simplifications were designed to reduce
above all the costs incurred by small and medium-sized enterprises. In addition, the CPR has also
updated the regime that governs innovative construction products (EADS/ETAs) to facilitate their route
to market within Europe. Further information will be given in the next paragraphs.
As regards the Basic Requirements, the CPR introduces a new consideration on life-cycle about the 3rd
Basic Requirement on Hygiene, health and the environment: “The construction works must be
designed and built in such a way that they will, throughout their life cycle, not be a threat to the
hygiene or health and safety of workers, occupants or neighbours, nor have an exceedingly high
impact, over their entire life cycle, on the environmental quality or on the climate during their
construction, use and demolition”.
Moreover, one of the main innovations of the CPR is the introduction of the 7th BRCW on “Sustainable
use of natural resources”, according to which the construction works must be designed, built and
demolished in such a way that the use of natural resources is sustainable and in particular ensure the
following:
(a) reuse or recyclability of the construction works, their materials and parts after demolition;
(b) durability of the construction works;
(c) use of environmentally compatible raw and secondary materials in the construction works.
5
Construction product: any product which is produced and placed in market for incorporation in a permanent
manner in a construction work and whose performance has an effect overall performance of the construction
work. Art. 2 “Definition” – Construction Product Regulation 305/2011
6
Kit: a construction product made by a set of at least two separate components that need to be put together
and are incorporated in a permanent manner in a construction work. Art. 2 “Definition” – Construction Product
Regulation 305/2011
13
This could be an important contribution for the market uptake of innovative products from CDW in
line with the EU action plan for the Circular Economy7, even if there are still uncentanties about the
interpretation of this Basic Requirement.
Figure 2 – Circular economy chart
Following the publication of the “Implementation Report, the Clean Energy for All Communication” the
European Commission announced the revision for the Construction Products Regulation starting from
November 2016 with the objective to assess the potential growth and employment in the construction
sector linked to the market for construction products. In September 2018 were published the findings
of an external study carried out to collect evidence for the evaluation of the CPR and the impact
assessment of future potential options8. Developments can be followed on the European Commission's
website.
3.1. European Harmonized Standards

Standardization is based on the voluntary cooperation between industry, business, public authorities
and other stakeholders: draft Standardization requests are prepared by the Commission through a
consultation process with a broad group of stakeholders, including social partners, consumers, small
and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), industry associations and EU countries.
Harmonised European standards (hENs) for construction products are drawn up by Technical
Committes from the basic requirements imposed by the CPR. The Technical Committees of CEN and
CENELEC are in charge of developing the required set of harmonised European standards and test
standards and further improving the existing ones.
Harmonised standards in the construction sector have several advantages, the most important being
a common assessment method for construction products and a single European scheme for the
declaration of performance of the product. Harmonised standards define the methods and criteria for
7
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm
8
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/construction/product-regulation/review_en
14
the evaluation of the performance of construction products by referring to the intended use of the
products to which they relate and including the technical details necessary to apply the system of
assessment and verification of the constancy of performance (AVCP).
All hENs under the CPR include an Annex (Annex ZA) which lists the regulated mandatory requirements
according to the Mandate issued to CEN or CENELEC by the European Commission and the clauses in
the standard in which they are addressed. Some of these clauses may also refer to separate supporting
documents, for example test methods standards. Appendix ZA establishes the conditions for CE
marking of a product according to:
- the identification of the clauses of the standard required to meet the mandate given under the
CPR (point ZA.1)
- the procedure(s) for the Assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance (point ZA.2)
- the information required to accompany the CE marking and the framework of the labelling
(point ZA.3)
In this way, Annex ZA becomes a sort of guide for CE marking. Compliance with Appendix ZA allows
the affixing of the CE marking.
Figure 3 – Example of Annex ZA
15
European standards, although developed at the request of the Commission and for European
legislation, remain generally voluntary. However, when European standards are adopted, national
standards bodies (NSBs) should implement them into identical national standards and withdraw
conflicting national standards. The conformity of a construction product with a national standard that
faithfully reflects what is indicated by a harmonised standard confers a presumption of conformity
with the essential requirements introduced by the European directives. It is also important to note
that conformity with the harmonised standard (and therefore with the essential European
requirements) does not concern the acceptance of the construction product in the works for which
the products are intended. The suitability of construction products is subject to the national legislation
and the Technical Standards and Norms for Construction, which define the technical specifications that
products must satisfy in order to be used correctly during the construction of buildings. This type of
national technical legislation is mandatory and does not necessarily refer to the conformity of a
product with the essential European requirements.
Member States can also decide to allow the use of products or materials without CE marking but
compliant with other technical specifications as long as these guarantee adequate levels of
performance assessed through national boards. For example, in Finland national procedures for
product approval can be used to demonstrate that a construction product outside the scope of
application of CE marking meets the requirements of the Land Use and Building Act9. There are three
voluntary national procedures for the approval of construction products:
• type approval
• verification certificate
• certification of production quality control (through certifying bodies for quality control,
approved by the Ministry of the Environment)
In addition to these voluntary procedures, the building supervision authority can require that the
performance of a construction product is certified on the construction site, if the fitness of the
construction product for its intended use has not been certified in any other way and there is reason
to suspect that the product does not fulfil the essential technical requirements set for it.
3.2. European Technical Assessment (ETA)

The European Technical Assessment (ETA) is an alternative to affix CE marking on construction
products not fully covered by a harmonised standard. It provides information on assessing product
performance. The assessment procedure is laid down in the Construction Products Regulation: when
a manufacturer realizes his product is not covered by a Harmonised Standard, he should contact a
Technical Assessment Body (TAB) designated by EU countries according to national procedures. First,
the TAB shall check and inform the manufacturer whether the product is fully or partly covered by a
9
http://www.ym.fi/en-
US/Land_use_and_building/Steering_of_construction/Construction_product_approval/National_procedures_f
or_product_approval
16
harmonised standard (if the product is covered by a harmonised standard, it is not possible to issue an
ETA). If the product is not covered by harmonised European standards, the TAB shall assess the product
on the basis of European Assessment Documents (EAD), which are harmonised technical specification
for construction products developed by the European Organisation for Technical Assessment (EOTA).
EADs are the basis for issuing European Technical Assessments as they contain:
• a general description of the construction product;

• the list of essential characteristics agreed between the manufacturer and EOTA;
• the methods and criteria for assessing the performance of the product in relation to these
essential characteristics;
• principles for factory production control to be applied.
If an EAD applicable to the product already exists, TAB prepares the ETA, otherwise it is necessary to
draft a new EAD, submit it to the organization on TAB’s for adoption and finally prepare the ETA. This
procedure might take some time, especially for innovative products not already covered by existing
EADs. As soon as the manufacturer receives the ETA, he has the basis for being able to draw up the
Declaration of Performance (DoP) and then affix the CE marking.
The following diagram summarizes the process leading to the issues of ETAs:
Figure 4 - ETA process (from EOTA: European Organisation for technical assessment)
3.3. CE marking
As mentioned before, CE marking is necessary for the marketing of a product within Europe as it states
that the product complies with the applicable legislation. On a construction product, it indicates that
17
the product conforms to a hEN or an ETA. The following flowchart should be followed when considering
the necessity to CE-mark a product:
Figure 5 – CE marking flowchart
The procedure to affix a CE marking is strictly linked to the marketing of a construction product and is
established in the Construction Product Regulation. The CE marking can be affixed on products for
which the manufacturer has drawn up a Declaration of Performance (DoP) which contains the
description of the performance of the construction product linked to the essential characteristics of
the relative category of products as identified by the specific harmonized standards. Through the CE
marking, the manufacturer of the construction product assumes the responsibility that the product
18
complies to the contents of the Declaration of Performance, as well as all applicable requirements
according to the specific harmonized standards.
In order to ensure that the declaration of performance is accurate and reliable, the performance of
the construction product should be assessed and the production in the factory should be controlled in
accordance with an appropriate conformity system of Assessment and Verification of Constancy of
Performance (AVCP) required for that product according to the relative Harmonised Standard. The
Assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance is a harmonised system defining how to
assess products and control the constancy of the assessment results. This system safeguards the
reliability and accuracy of the Declaration of Performance. Depending on the system (which varies
from 1+ to 4 depending on the intended use of the product), the process for CE marking might involve
third party bodies (Notified Bodies) such as Product certification bodies, Factory production control
certification bodies or Laboratories.
Figure 6 – Systems of AVCP and levels of involvement of notified bodies 10
A copy of the Declaration of Performance is therefore directly provided to users or made available on
a website, according to the conditions imposed by the European Commission.
The 305/2011 Regulation requires CE marking to be placed visibly and indelibly on the construction
product or, in case it is impossible, on the packaging of the product itself. Furthermore, the marking
must be followed by the indication of:
• the year in which it was placed on the market for the first time
• the name and legal address of the manufacturer
10
The European Engineering Industries Association, A Practical Guide to Understanding the Specific
Requirements of CPR (2015)
19
• the identification code of the product-type

• the identification number of the Declaration of Performance
• the reference to the harmonized technical specification
• the identification number of the certificate issuing body.
Figure 7 – Example of Declaration of Performance
4. Environmental Technology Verification (ETV)
The Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) is a European voluntary programme under the Eco-
Innovation Action Plan of the European Commission aiming to recognise the environmental added
value of innovative technologies (either products or processes) whose value cannot be proven through
existing standards or certification schemes and whose claims could benefit from a credible verification
procedure as a guarantee for investors.
20
The main aim of this tool is to help innovative environmental technologies reach the market and to
promote eco-innovation, mainly in highly dynamic and innovative Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
(SMEs).
The ETV is not a label or a certification because it does not follow standards or pre-defined criteria. It
is a third-party verification of the declared environmental performance of the proposed technology.
This verification protocol allows independent assessment of the manufacturer's claims on the
performance and environmental benefits of their technology.
The ETV provides public information in the form of a Statement of Verification. These can be used to
compare different technologies and their potential on market, reducing the risk of adopting new
technologies and encouraging informed and sound investments. This program could be also used to
evaluate and verify compliance with current regulations and to convince investors or customers of the
reliability of performance statements.
The ETV Protocol is based on a close interaction between stakeholders such as proposers (technology
manufacturers) and the Verification Bodies (third-party organizations accredited under ISO 17020) that
carry out the verification procedure such as reported in the following image.
Figure 8 – ETV Protocol Structure
According to GVP Version 1.3 of April 201811, ETV Protocol follows the following consecutive steps:
• Contact phase
• Proposal phase
• Specific protocol preparation phase (with possible testing phase)
11
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/sites/ecoap_stayconnected/files/pdfs/eu-etv-gvp-1-3-web-
version.pdf
21
• Assessment and verification phase

• Publication phase.
In a first application phase (the project was launched in 2013), the ETV programme is focused on
specific Technology Areas for a total of 98 technologies which have initiated verification (29 of them
have already terminated the verification procedure)12. This areas in a next future could be expanded
and further implementation of the program.
The currently active Technology areas are:
• Water Technologies
• Materials, Waste & Resources Technologies
• Energy technologies
Each of these technology areas is subject to the validation process of the eligibility according to the
criteria of readiness to the market (available on the market or immediately before), innovativeness of
environmental technologies (novelty in terms of design, raw materials involved, production process,
use and environmentally hazard) and relevance to user needs/legal requirements (agreement to usual
practices and to pre-existing standard).
As Verification relies on a Life-Cycle approach, ETV could be an interesting opportunity for innovative
products such as the ones developed within HISER project, as they would fall in the Technology Area
“Materials, Waste & Resources Technologies” which is the most interesting for innovative construction
products with environmental added value through their entire life-cycle (such as the use of secondary
raw materials).
Figure 9 – ETV Program Logo.
5. Environmental Labels and Declarations according to ISO 14020 Series
As the level of environmental consciousness is increasing, more attention is being paid by the
consumer to the environmental properties of goods and services. This is being used (and misused) by
many companies as an attempt to increase their market share.
With the relentless focus on climate change and health, consumers are becoming more interested in
less tangible product attributes such as the ethical and environmental aspects of a product’s
production and supply. In response to this, manufacturers often voluntarily choose to provide
information concerning the environmental aspects of their products on labelling and in advertising.
12
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/etv/verified-technologies_en
22
Environmental labelling provides an indication of the environmental impact—related characteristics

of a product or service. It is therefore a way to improve communication and to convey more
information from business to consumers (B2C) and from business to business (B2B).
The environmental labels and declarations are tools belonging to the environmental policies of the
European community and they are regulated by ISO 14020 Series. The ISO 14020 standard consists of
a subset of the ISO 14000 series of standards that provide a set of voluntary tools for companies that
want to quantify their environmental impact and to analyze their entire production process in order
to improve environmental performance.
The ISO 14020 series of standards provides businesses with a globally recognized and credible set of
international benchmarks against which they can prepare their environmental labelling, which is
increasingly used on products and in advertising, in response to consumer demand. It is also important
to highlight that the environmental label are also awarded in green building and sustainable
certification schemes such as LEED, Breeam, Level(s).
There are many labels and declarations of environmental performance:
Figure 10 - Environmental-Labelling Classification.
The series of ISO 14020 family introduces three main different types labelling schemes:
• Type I is a multi-attribute label developed by a third party;

• Type II is a single-attribute label developed by the producer;
• Type III is an eco-label whose awarding is based on a full life-cycle assessment.
23
A fourth group, that can be called “Type I-like”, has a verification and certification process similar to
that of Type I-labels but focuses on single issues (e.g. energy consumption, sustainable forestry, etc.).
The main differences between the types of labelling can be summarized in the following table:
Type I Type II Type III

Purpose Selective Comparative Information
Consumer products and Consumer products and Products and services
Types of products
services services along the supply chain
Communication B2C B2C B2B
Certification Third-Party First Party Third-Party
Kind of labels or
Labels Labels Labels + Declaration
declarations
Classification Positive Neutral/Positive Neutral
Table 1: Main differences between the types of environmental labelling.
5.1. Environmental Labels Type I – ISO 14024:2018

According to ISO 14024:2018 “Environmental labels and declarations - Type I environmental labelling”,
these statements are voluntary labels and are based on a multi-criteria system developed over the
entire life cycle of the product or service. They are issued by an external certification body based on
compliance with certain reference values.
Only independent and reliable labels that consider the life-cycle impact of products and services are
called “ecolabels”, even if this term is commonly used in a broad and not always correct way. This
group is the most useful from the point of view of a procurement practitioner. Ecolabels are based on
ambitious criteria of environmental quality, and they guarantee that the awarded products respect the
highest environmental standard in that market segment. The criteria are usually developed through
the involvement of a large number of stakeholders and awarded after an independent process of
verification. Ecolabels take into account all adverse environmental impacts of a product throughout its
life cycle, for example energy and water consumption, emissions, disposal, etc.
The Ecolabel is granted by an independent third party, not influenced by the company who seeks
certification. Therefore, an ecolabel is a tool that helps buyers to choose among a number of products
and services (often accompanied by unverified claims about their supposed ecological advantages) and
recognize those that actually offer a better environmental performance.
The main objectives of the Type I Labels are:

• Protecting the environment by:
o efficient management of renewable resources
o efficient use of non-renewable resources
o waste reduction, reuse and recycling
o protection of ecosystems and species diversity
o proper management of chemicals in products
24
• Encouraging environmentally sound innovation and leadership

o market incentive to environmentally innovative and progressive businesses
o businesses can establish or reinforce a market niche and positive corporate image
among consumers
• Building consumer awareness of environmental issues
o heighten consumer awareness
o reliable information
o “Trade-positive" tool (i.e. for promoting export products in foreign markets where
consumer awareness and concern for environmental impacts is established and
significant)
ISO 14024 provides the requirements for operating an ecolabelling scheme. This standard has been
adopted as a benchmark by the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN), the international federation of
“ecolabel”ling bodies. It provides the rules to overcome some of the past criticisms of ecolabelling and
provides guidance for new schemes under development. The principles of this standard are:
• environmental labelling programmes should be voluntary;

• compliance with environmental and other relevant legislation is required;
• the whole product life cycle must be taken into consideration when setting product
environmental criteria;
• product environmental criteria need to be established to differentiate environmentally
preferable products from others in the product category when these differences are
significant;
• a reliable ecolabelling scheme is based on sound scientific evidence;
• the certifying scheme should be third-party and independent from the certified company.
It is therefore important to notice that innovative products with a high environmental added value
could gain significant visibility on the market thanks to Type-I labels, since they could have a positive
impact when considering the “whole product life cycle”.
Some examples of the main known labels of this type are the European Union “EU Ecolabel”13, the
German Blue Angel14, the Nordic Swan15.
13
EU Ecolabel was established in 1992 by Regulation n. 880/92 and is today governed by Regulation (EC) no.
66/2010. This tool allows to distinguish the products and / or services that, while ensuring high performance
standards, are characterized by a reduced environmental impact during the entire life cycle.
14
The Blue Angel is the ecolabel of the federal government of Germany since 1978. The Blue Angel sets high
standards for environmentally friendly product design and has proven itself over the past 40 years as a reliable
guide for a more sustainable consumption (www.blauer-engel.de/en)
15
"The Swan" – the official Nordic Ecolabel. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel was established in 1989 by the Nordic
Council of Ministers as a voluntary ecolabelling scheme for the Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Norway and Sweden. It is an effective tool to help companies that want to go ahead with sustainable solutions –
and thereby enable consumers and professional buyers to choose the environmentally best goods and services.
25
Figure 11 – Example of Declaration of Type I according to ISO 14024: Ecolabel EU, Blue Angel and Nordic Swan.
The EU Ecolabel is a voluntary scheme, which means that producers, importers and retailers can
choose to apply for the label for their products. The functioning of the EU Ecolabel is set through a
Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. Its daily management is carried out by the
European Commission together with bodies from the Member States and other stakeholders.
According to ISO 14024:2018, the EU Ecolabel has developed product categories and product
environmental criteria covering a wide range of product groups. The number of EU ecolabel products
and services has grown since 1992. On March 2018, 1,979 licenses have been awarded for 69,604 of
products and services available on the market (Figure 11). It is possible to search among all the
products registered within the Ecolabel tool by the “EU Ecolabel Product Catalogue”16.
There are currently several different product groups covering a wide range of categories, from cleaning
products to cleaning services, from home and garden to clothing and paper products, and from rinse-
off cosmetics to tourist accommodation services. But at the moment, there are few groups for building
materials; among them, product environmental criteria have already been defined for:
• DO-IT-YOURSELF:
o Indoor and outdoor paints and varnishes;
• COVERINGS:
o Hard Coverings;
o Wooden Floor coverings.
If a product isn’t covered in the EU Ecolabel product groups, it is possible to submit a proposal for new
EU Ecolabel Product category or lead the criteria development process, but it is a long and complex
process developed in close collaboration with the European Commission. From start to finish, this
process may take on average 2 years17.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is one of the founders back in 1994 of the international network for ISO 14024 Type 1
ecolabels, GEN, the Global Ecolabelling Network. (www.nordic-ecolabel.org/)
16
http://ec.europa.eu/ecat/
17
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/criteria-development-and-revision.html
26
A study on “Identification of elements for a Strategy for the EU Ecolabel” has been launched in 2018
in order to support the development of a strategic approach for the EU Ecolabel voluntary scheme,
including the identification of the most promising product/service groups for the EU Ecolabel and
actions for the monitoring of its implementation and environmental impact18. An extensive
stakeholder engagement process is being launched under the study, so there could be the possibility
for manufacturers to ask for new product groups (including families of construction products) to be
included within the programme or to propose specific product environmental criteria.
5.2. Self-Declared Environmental Claims Type II – ISO 14021:2016

According to ISO 14021:2016 “Self-declared environmental claims”, this type of labels are self-
declarations through which manufacturers, importers or distributors can declare particular
environmental performances of a product without the intervention of a third certification body.
Beside environmental issues, also social issues might be highlighted.
So, the main difference with Type I- and III- labels is that they are not awarded by an independent
authority. These labels are developed internally by companies, and they can take the form of a
declaration, a logo, a commercial, etc. referring to one of the company products.
For what reason do companies develop their own environmental label or claim? Consumers and
procurement practitioners are increasingly attentive to the environmental impact of what they
purchase. For this reason, providing information on the environmental performance of products and
services is becoming a commercially interesting option for many firms.
Generally, a company voluntarily makes a self-declaration that:
• refers to an environmental aspect of a product, to a component of the product or to its
packaging;
• is made on the product, on product packaging (environmental claim or green claim).
This kind of producer declaration can provide useful information for procurers and requisitioners, but
not always are green claims as accurate and true as they should be. If the information conveyed in
claims can be vague, misleading or inaccurate, the consequence can be loss of trust in claims and labels
in general19.
In this type of labelling, as there is no third-party certification, the guarantee of reliability becomes an
even more significant element. For a manufacturer, in fact, using the ISO 14021 represents the
commitment to compliance with a series of requirements designed to ensure the reliability of the
information conveyed to the consumers and the guarantee not to incur unforeseen effects of negative
markets, as allegations of unfair competition for example. For all these reasons the standard excludes
the possibility of using too general expressions, such as "environmentally friendly", "green" or "non-
polluting" while defining the requirements for the use of terms and expressions such as: compostable,
18
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/
19
When the criteria of transparency and accuracy are not respected, the behaviour of firms who falsely claim to
have a sound environmental record is known as greenwashing. Greenwashing is the act of misleading consumers
regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.
27
degradable, recyclable, reduced energy consumption, “recycled content equal to...”, waste reduction,
etc.
ISO 14021 addresses the issue that if a claim is made, how can it be made in a way which is meaningful
and useful to a consumer. The objectives of ISO 14021 are stated to be the harmonization of the use
of self-declared environmental claims with the following anticipated benefits:
• Accurate and verifiable environmental claims that are not misleading;

• Increased potential for market forces to stimulate environmental improvements;
• Prevention or minimization of unwarranted claims;
• Reduction in marketplace confusion;
• Facilitation of international trade;
• Increased opportunity for consumers to make more informed choices.
The basic requirements for all claims are that they shall be:
• Accurate and not misleading;
• Substantiated and verified;
• Unlikely to result in misinterpretation.
There are a number of requirements setting out the general rules for the making of self-declared
environmental claims. There are three key elements to ISO 14021 concerning requirements for claims
which give the basic rules for the making of environmental claims.
• Use of symbols:
This deals with the fact that many claims for products are made not just with the use of text,
but also by the use of pictures, symbols or logos.
The International Standard applies exactly the same rules to the use of symbols as to the use
of text. Any logo or image used to convey an environmental message shall comply with the
basic rules referred to above, and shall be unlikely to result in misinterpretation or be
misleading.
• Evaluation and claim verification requirements:
Essentially this requires that claims must be verified before they are made, and that this
information must be available on request to any person.
There are four key elements:
o Responsibility of the claimant
o Evaluation of comparative claims
o Methods used
o Access to information
The standard makes it clear that the primary responsibility to ensure a claim is accurate resides
with the person making the claim. Effectively, the person making a claim must have the
information necessary to verify it before it is made. Further, this information must be kept for
a reasonable period, testing must use accepted test methods and the information must be
disclosed to any person who wants it.
28
• Specific requirements for selected claims.

This recognizes that some claims are used more frequently than others (e.g. recyclable or
biodegradable), and provides for specific requirements in the use of such claims.
In the final part of the standard are set specific rules on the usage of the term, qualifications
and evaluation methodology and, as appropriate, gave guidance on commonly used claims.
The final element of the standard is the specific requirements for selected claims, for instance:
o Compostable
o Degradable
o Designed for disassembly
o Extended life product
o Recovered energy
o Recyclable
o Recycled content
o Reduced energy consumption
o Reduced resource use
o Reduced water consumption
o Reusable and refillable
o Waste reduction
o Renewable material
o Sustainable
o Claims relating to greenhouse gas emissions (Product “Carbon footprint” and “Carbon
neutral”
Some examples of Self-Declared environmental Claims type II logos are: the Moebius Loop20 and the
Green Dot21 (Figure 10). Or other examples are the words: "recyclable" or "compostable".
Figure 12 -Example of Self-Declared environmental Claims Type II according to ISO 14021: Mobius Loop and Green
20
According to the ISO 14021:2016, the Mobius Loop is a symbol in the shape of three twisted chasing arrows
forming a tringle. Whenever it is used to make and environmental claims, the design shall meet the graphical
requirements for ISO 7000-1135. IT is a symbol used for claims of recyclable or recycled contents.
21
The Green Dot or in German “Der Grüne Punkt” is the license symbol of a European network of industry-funded
systems for recycling the packaging materials of consumer goods. The logo is trademark protected worldwide.
29
5.3. Environmental Declarations Type III – ISO 14025:2006

According to ISO 14025:2006, Type III environmental declaration can be described as “quantified
environmental data for a product with pre-set categories of parameters based on the ISO 14040 series
of standards, but not excluding additional environmental information”.
The Environmental Declarations Type III labels contain a quantification of the environmental impacts
according to life cycle calculations using LCA methodologies22, allowing objective comparisons
between products fulfilling the same function. So, Type III labels do not assess or weight the
environmental performance of the products they describe against any set value or score. This type of
environmental labels only shows the objective data, and their evaluation is left to the buyer. As they
contain specific technical data to be interpreted by experts, Type III labels have proven to have limited
application to the consumer market, but they are of growing importance in business-to-business
commerce.
In summary, this kind of labels:

• are based on independently verified life-cycle assessment (LCA) data, life-cycle inventory
analysis (LCI) data, converted LCI data to reflect the life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) of a
product or information modules in accordance with the ISO 14040 series of standards and,
where relevant, additional environmental information;
• are developed using predetermined parameters;
• are subject to the administration of a programme operator, such as a company or a group of
companies, industrial sector or trade association, public authorities or agencies, or an
independent scientific body or other organization.
• are under control of a third-party certification body and report objective, comparable and
verified information.
The EPD Environmental Product Declaration are an example of this kind of declaration (Figure 13). An
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is an independently verified and registered document that
communicates transparent and comparable information about the life-cycle environmental impact of
products. As a voluntary declaration of the life-cycle environmental impact, having an EPD for a
product does not imply that the declared product is environmentally superior to alternatives.
It is possible to search among all the EPDs registered within the international EPD System by the
“Search the EPD database” in www.environdec.com because all declarations are publically available
and free to download.
22
In the case of application of the LCA methodology in the evaluations the contents of the ISO 14040: 2006
standard "Environmental Management, Life Cycle Assessment, principles and framework" must be respected to
ensure compliance with the objective parameters necessary for the execution of appropriate elaborations.
30
Figure 13 – International EPD® System’s Logo
The EPD label is associated with a declaration containing multiple information (Figure 14), for example
the EPD template shows the following items:
Figure 14 – Facts that are included in an EPD
Developing an Environmental Product Declaration in the International EPD® System includes the
following main steps (Figure 15):
• Perform LCA study based on PCR,

• Compile information in the EPD reporting format,
• Verification through a third-party body,
• Registration and publication
31
The two most time-consuming steps are to create a PCR (if not already available) and to perform the
underlying LCA study. Developing a PCR normally takes between 5-12 months. Conducting an LCA
study in accordance with the PCR may take anywhere between 1-12 months depending on the
availability of data and the amount of LCA work that has been done in the company to date. If a PCR is
being developed, the LCA study may be carried out in parallel to drafting the document. It is
recommended to make contact with a potential verifier early on in the process so that this step may
start as soon as the LCA study is done and the information compiled into the EPD reporting format.
After verification is completed, registration by the Secretariat upon receiving the complete
documentation normally takes 1-3 working days.
Figure 15 - Process for EPD development
Life-cycle assessment on the product is conducted according to specific protocols called PCR (Product
Category Rules) that provide rules and requirements discussed and shared among the various
stakeholders, to make the data and information relating to a given product category comparable with
each other. The PCR contain specific instructions detailing LCA-based data collection methods for
different product groups, conversion of the collected data to the pre-set indicators, and the format for
presentation of the information. The development of PCR follows a strict procedure, including a multi-
phase approach for initiation, preparation, consultation, approval and publication, and updating
(Figure 16).
A PCR is generally divided in two parts:

• The Product Category Rules Part A describing the requirements for the background report and
the calculation rules for the LCA. The PCR part A is valid for all products and must therefore be
used in any case. In the "additions to part A" further product-specific calculation rules can be
listed.
• Specific PCR guidance texts Part B containing rules to be applied to all products within a
defined scope. For example, it is listed which properties and which environment or health-
related evidences are necessary in order to get the declaration.
32
If a specific PCR-text does not exist for a product, the creation of PCR part B is the first step. The PCR
guidance text specifies and complements the EN 15804 in the product-specific areas and serves as a
template for the preparation of EPDs. The PCRs are usually created by the companies and organisations
in co-operation with other parties, such as trade associations and interest organisations, institutions
involving LCA/EPD experts in close cooperation with companies or trade associations and interest
organisations, or by single companies in cooperation with the manufacturers and other experts. A PCR
is valid for a pre-determined period of time to ensure that it is updated at regular intervals. This period
is normally three to five years.
Figure 16 - Phases of PCR development in the International EPD® System
Examples on how to use EPDs in different applications are described in the following sections:
• Building assessment schemes (e.g. LEED, BREEAM, GreenStar and HQE)
• Green public procurement (GPP)
• Business-to-business communication
• Business-to-consumer communication
• Environmental management systems (e.g. ISO 14001 and EMAS)
• Ecodesign
On Environdec website (www.environdec.com) it is possible to search among all EPD registered within
the International EPD® System, or browse the database by product category and also by country. The
more interesting product categories for the building sector are:
• Construction products
• Furniture & other goods
• Glass & plastic products
• Infrastructure & buildings
• Services
For many of these product categories are available many PCRs. For the construction products CEN has
published the EN 15804:2012+A1:2013 "Sustainability of Construction Works- Environmental Product
Declarations – Code rules for the product category of construction products". The standard provides
33
framework rules for product category (PCR) for the processing of type III environmental declarations
for each type of product and service for buildings.
Complementary to this standard, it’s possible to find other specifications for PCR: at the moment, for
construction products and construction services it is available the document PCR 2012:01. This
document serves as Product Category Rules (PCR) and it aims to be the main way to develop and
register EPDs in the International EPD System, compliant with the European standard EN
15804:2012+A1:2013 (Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product declarations - Core
rules for the product category of construction products).
In addition, this document may also be the basis for the development of "sub-PCRs" for more specific
product categories:
• If this document is used as a PCR, it may be used for Construction products and construction
services for an EPD based on a declared unit, cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-gate with options;
• If this document is used together with a sub-PCR, it may be used for an EPD based on a
functional unit, cradle-to-grave.
The following sub-PCRs currently exist, and shall be used in addition to this document for the relevant
product categories:
• PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-A Mortars applied to a surface

• PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-B Synthetic carpet yarn
• PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-C Acoustical systems solutions (previously: Acoustic ceilings)
• PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-D Bricks, blocks, tiles, flagstone of clay and siliceous earths
• PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-E Wood and wood-based products for use in construction (EN 16485)
• PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-F Resilient, textile and laminate floor coverings (EN 16810)
• PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-G Concrete and concrete elements (EN 16757)
• PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-H Cement and building limes (EN 16908)
• PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-I Thermal insulation products (EN 16783)
Moreover, according to EN 15804, environmental information presented in an EPD is processed by

modules, where Stages A to C represent the product life cycle and stage D the environmental benefits
and impacts when the product is recycled into new products:
• stage A covers the production and construction

• stage B covers usage
• stage C covers End of life
• stage D covers Recycling
Currently the production stage (A1–3) is the only mandatory part of the EPD, covering cradle-to-gate.
The environmental impact from the production stage is reported in relation to a declared unit, typically
per kg. Besides stage A1–3, an EPD might also include one or several additional stages (in this case a
34
functional unit has to be defined in all stages A to C). Recycling impacts (module D) shall be reported
as supplementary information to the LCA result from module A to C but they are not compulsory.
LCA for module D on the environmental benefits and impacts from recycling of construction products
should therefore gain more importance23.
While the production stage (A1–3) is based on existing or historical data (so the possible impacts can
be easily assessed), normally the use of a construction product can generate different impacts
depending on the intended use, the position of the product in the construction work or the location of
the construction work where the product is incorporated in. Therefore, the scenarios described in an
EPD shall always be regarded only as one specific example. The most preferable level for performing
LCA would be to do it for the entire construction work. In this way it would be possible to cover all
parts of the construction work and also the full life cycle. The life cycle stages for a construction product
according to EN 15804 (2012) should be used as modular information for construction works (including
buildings) as defined by EN 15978 (2011).
6. Product Environmental Footprint
The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) is seeking for a better alignment of different aspects of EU
product policy, such as eco-design, energy labelling, Green Public Procurement (GPP) and the Ecolabel,
as well as with sector specific legislation, such as the Construction Products Regulation (CPR).
When assessing the environmental features of a product, some methods focus on a single
environmental indicator (e.g. water footprint), whilst others take a multi-criteria approach (Ecolabel,
Life Cycle Assessment). The advantage of looking at several environmental indicators is that possible
burden shifting to other impact categories is avoided. A multi-criteria approach thus allows for correct
decision taking: the improvement of one environmental indicator will not result in the deterioration
of another. As a common way of measuring environmental performance, the European Commission
proposes the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) method based on a kind of Life Cycle Assessment
23
Environmentally Sustainable Construction Products and Materials – Assessment of release (Nordic Innovation
Publication 2014:3)
http://www.nordicinnovation.org/Global/_Publications/Reports/2014/Environmentally%20Sustainable%20Con
struction%20Products%20and%20Materials_Final_report.pdf
35
(LCA) with the aim to harmonize the scientific assessments used for product policies in the EU when it
comes to the same or comparable product categories. In this way, a company willing to put its product
on the market as an environmentally friendly product in several Member States markets is not forced
to deal with multiple methods and costs.
A pilot phase from 2013 to 2016 has been undertaken for the Environmental Footprint (EF) and tested
by groups of organisations called Technical Secretariats, who volunteered to develop the Product
Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for their product or sector24.
Among the 26 Product Environmental Footprint pilots developed25, the main pilots about the
construction products are:
• Thermal insulation materials in buildings

• Paints
Several reports were carried out on the specific activities within the pilot phase and it is possible to
find them on the website of the European Commission.
After this pilot period, a transition phase between the end of the Environmental Footprint pilot phase
and the possible adoption of policies implementing the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), is
ongoing. In this transition phase eight clusters will be established to ensure that different economic
sectors and interested stakeholders can be represented, including the “Construction products” and
“Materials and intermediate products” clusters. In particular, 26 stakeholders participate in the
Construction products cluster, including research institutions and building products associations.
The Construction Products Working Group (CPWG) has drafted a possible set of parameters to be
considered under the LCA according PEF methodology, where innovative materials from secondary
recovered materials such as the ones developed within HISER could give a significant contribution in
the Raw material acquisition and pre-processing phase and in the end-of-life scenario:
24
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/smgp/pdf/PEFCR_guidance_v6.3.pdf
25
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/smgp/ef_pilots.htm
36
Table 2. Parameters describing environmental impacts for impact categories considered to be sufficiently reliable
for communication purposes.
PEF method is still under development after the pilot phase and it will probably be finalized in some
years. A Final Report on the Environmental Footprint pilot phase was issued in 201826, stressing the
importance of raising awareness about the PEF/OEF method among all the stakeholders and
integrating and testing the selected communication vehicle with other product/business information
currently in place.
7. Green building certification schemes promoting resource efficiency
Green materials with recycled content or environmental benefits are often rewarded under voluntary
environmental rating systems for new or existing buildings such as LEED (from US Green Building
Council), BREEAM (from British BRE) or Level(s) from the European Commission. These protocols are
generally based on credits (points) whose achievement allows to get a certification of the sustainability
of a building at different levels (depending on the final score). As these rating systems have been
proved to increase the commercial value of buildings, many investors, designers, general contractors
and real estate operators look for achieving a higher final score.
Most of these protocols include a Materials and Resources credit category focusing on minimizing the
embodied energy and other impacts associated with the extraction, processing, transport,
maintenance, and disposal of building materials. Main of them offer flexibility and reward all material
reuse achieved by a project—both in situ, as part of a building reuse strategy, and from off site, as part
of a salvaging strategy.
26
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/smgp/pdf/2018_pilotphase_commreport.pdf
37
Greater importance is given to the use of products and materials during the construction or
refurbishment of buildings: for example, in LEED, 13 out of 110 points (maximum score) are linked to
the responsible use of materials, including materials with recycled content. There are two categories
of recycled materials under LEED Materials&Resources (MR) credits: Post-Consumer and Pre-
Consumer. Using recovered materials instead of raw materials would qualify as Post-consumer.
Following the widespread nature of this rating system, it has become key for designers and architects
to have information on “LEED compliant products” with particular eco-sustainable characteristics
available on the international market. A possible solution for the market uptake of products made from
pre-consumer or post-consumer material diverted from the waste stream could therefore be a
certification by a Third Party about the recycled content of their product, in order to make an accurate
claim in the marketplace and help designers to understand if the product can contribute to the credit
achievement.
Where LEED or BREEAM or any other national rating system were initially developed by single
countries, Level(s) is a project presented on 21 June 2017 by the European Commission with the aim
to improve the sustainability of buildings. It is a voluntary reporting framework and provides a set of
common indicators and metrics for measuring the building environmental performance, including the
use of materials (Resource Efficiency key area). At the moment it is applicable for office and residential
buildings taking into account their full ‘life-cycle’. As Europe’s building sector is called upon to move
towards circular economy, Level(s) indicators could be an opportunity to further educate it about Life
Cycle Assessment and resource efficiency,
National certification tools support the development of Level(s) and all have stated their intention to
explore alignment between their schemes and Level(s), as BREEAM, DGNB in Germany, HPI in Ireland,
HQE in France and Verde in Spain, so this could lead to a unique European certification scheme for the
sustainability of building, where the whole Life Cycle of the building (including materials) will gain more
and more importance.
In most of the other existing certificates, materials contribute to the overall score between 3 and 15%:
an opportunity to explore would be to increase the percentage score of the “Materials” category, for
example up to 15-20%
Figure 17: Framework of the coordinated action to support the Level(s) development.
38
The Level(s) framework consists of six macro-objectives organized in three thematic areas:
Thematic Area Macro-objectives

1. Greenhouse gas emissions along a building’s life cycle
Life cycle environmental performance 2. Resource efficient and circular material life cycles
3. Efficient use of water resources
Health and comfort 4. Healthy and comfortable spaces
5. Adaptation and resilience to climate change
Cost, value and risk
6. Optimised life cycle cost and value
Table 3: Thematic Areas in Level(s) framework
Based on these goals, building specific indicators have been developed. An overview of the indicators,
scenarios and LCA tools is presented in Figure 18.
Figure 18: Overview of the Level(s) framework.
For this work it’s relevant the “Macro-objective 2: Resource efficient and circular material life cycles”.
Its definition is: “optimisation of building design, engineering and form in order to support lean and
circular flows, extend long-term material utility and reduce significant environmental impacts”.
It this framework it’s possible to find an indicator about Construction and Demolition waste, the
indicator 2.3. The focus of indicator 2.3 is on waste that may arise at a number of specific, defined
39
points in the life cycle of a building. Reporting is based on the output flows from relevant on site and
off-site processes.
In particular the indicator measure, for each of the defined stages in the life cycle of a building, the
following categories of output flows with the option to disaggregate each flow by material stream:
• Waste disposed of: hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams. This shall include waste
disposed of to landfill and by incineration.
• Components for re-use: this shall include all materials recovered for reuse either on or off site,
with a focus on encouraging the reuse of structural elements.
• Materials for recycling: this shall include all materials recovered for recycling either on or off
site. Waste materials used in backfilling operations on or off site are excluded.
• Materials for other material recovery operations: this shall include backfilling and processes
that meet the EU definition of energy recovery.
Waste generated during the prefabrication or assembly of parts or elements offsite shall be included
within reporting on waste disposed of in order to ensure that any burden shifting is accounted for.
The flows reported on under the scope of this indicator reflect those defined 'indicators describing
additional environmental information' in the reference standards EN 15978. These output flows are
split into the different waste fractions, so as to aid an understanding of the material flow as a whole
and how much is reused and recycled. The performance evaluation is in term of kg waste and materials
per m2 of total useful floor area (per life cycle and project stage reported on): kg/m2/life cycle stage
reported on.
The indicator is used in building project on both estimated and actual performance as recorded on
site, depending on the project stage and the nature of the waste. It could be used by several project
actors. For example, during the design stage it is used to estimate performance or during demolition
and construction stages to check how the project actually performs in real life.
Project stage Macro-objectives
1. Design stage • Estimations of waste based on surveys of existing
(based on estimations) buildings that will undergo major renovation or where
the structure will be reused (life cycle stage B5).
• Estimations based on scenarios for deconstruction and
demolition of the building at a future point in time
beyond the end of its service life (life cycle stages C1/3,
D).
2. Construction stage • Data from deconstruction and demolition of (a)
(based on data recorded from the site) building(s) in order to clear a site for a new building
construction (as part of a previous life cycle).
• Data from the part deconstruction of (a) building(s) in
order to prepare useful parts for in-situ reuse.
• Data from construction on site of a new building and/or
the prefabrication/construction of parts and elements
off site (life cycle stages A3/5).
• Data from preparation of a building in order to
facilitate a major renovation.
40
3. Completion stage • Estimations based on scenarios for deconstruction and

(based on estimations supported by as-built demolition of the building at a future point in time
drawings) beyond the end of its service life (life cycle stages C1/3,
D).
4. Post-completion n/a
(based on commissioning and testing)
5. Occupation n/a
(based on measured performance)
6. End of life • Details of measures that were taken at design stage to
(based on planned performance) facilitate deconstruction, reuse and recycling at a
future date (life cycle stages C1/3, D).
Table 4: Project stages at which indicator 2.3 can be used
8. State of the art and possible improvements for materials and products
considered under HISER Project
Within this section, for each individual material included in the HISER project, it will be analyzed the
state of the art of the harmonized European standards, environmental labels and certifications through
a critical analysis accompanied by possible integrative insights.
8.1. Cements Technical Standards

As a binder (a substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to
bind them together), cement is often supplied as a powder and mixed with other materials and water.
Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. When
mixed with fine aggregates, cement produces mortar for masonry, while when mixed with sand and
gravel, it produces concrete.
Cements used in construction are usually inorganic, often lime or calcium silicate based, and can be
characterized as either hydraulic or non-hydraulic, depending on the ability of the cement to set and
harden in the presence of water (see hydraulic and non-hydraulic lime plaster).
Non-hydraulic cement does not set in wet conditions or under water. Rather, it sets as it dries and
reacts with carbon dioxide in the air. It is resistant to attacks by chemicals after setting.
Hydraulic cements (e.g., Portland cement) set and become adhesive due to a chemical reaction
between the dry ingredients and water. The chemical reaction results in mineral hydrates that are not
very water-soluble and so are quite durable in water and safe from chemical attack. This allows setting
in wet conditions or under water and further protects the hardened material from chemical attack.
The very first chemical process for hydraulic cement (found by ancient Romans) used volcanic ash
(pozzolana) with added lime (calcium oxide). Modern hydraulic development began with the start of
the Industrial Revolution (around 1800), driven by three main needs:
• hydraulic cement render for finishing brick buildings in wet climates;
• hydraulic mortars for masonry construction of harbor works, etc., in contact with sea water;
41
• development of strong concretes.

Modern cements are often Portland cement or Portland cement blends, but industry also uses other
cements. Table 5 lists just some of the many possible raw ingredients that can be used to provide each
of the main cement elements for Portland cement manufacture.
CALCIUM SILICON ALUMINUM IRON

Limestone Clay Clay Clay
Marl Marl Shale Iron ore
Calcite Sand Fly ash Mill scale
Aragonite Shale Aluminum ore refuse Shale
Shale Fly ash Blast furnace dust
Sea Shells Rice hull ash
Cement kiln dust Slag
Table 5 - Examples of raw materials for Portland cement manufacture
8.1.1. Harmonised and Technical Standards

CEN/TC 51 “Cement and Building Limes” is the Technical Body in the Cement activity sector whose
scope is to develop high levels of standardization of definitions, terminology, specifications and test
methods for cements and limes used in building and civil engineering. In particular, this Technical Body
is divided into seven Working Groups known as subcommittees:
• CEN/TC 51 / WG 10: Masonry Cement
• CEN/TC 51 / WG 11: Building Lime
• CEN/TC 51 / WG 12: Special Performance Criteria
• CEN/TC 51 / WG 13: Assessment of conformity
• CEN/TC 51 / WG 14: Hydraulics binders for road bases
• CEN/TC 51 / WG 15: Revision of methods of testing cement
• CEN/TC 51 / WG 6: Definitions and terminology of cement
Works on developing a specific European cement standard began in 1969 by the European Economic
Community. Since 1973 they have been entrusted to the European Technical Committee for
Standardization (CEN). Since the early 1980s, CEN / TC 51 has decided to include in the cement
standard only those intended for use in concrete (both armed and unarmed). Currently the CEN/TC 51
standard makes a macro distinction between "common cements" and "special cements" depending on
the presence (or not) of additional or particular properties with respect to compliance requirements
based on the tests established by EN 196-1, EN 196-2, EN 196-3, EN 196-5, EN 196-6, EN 196-7, EN 196-
8 and EN 196-9 standards.
The EN 197-1:2011 standard “Cement - Part 1: Composition, specifications and conformity criteria for
common cements”, come into force in September 2011, has superseded the EN 197-1:2000 and EN
197-4:2004 standards. It defines 27 different types of common cement, 7 different types of sulphate
resisting common cement, 3 different types of low early strength blast furnace cement and 2 different
types of sulphate resisting low early strength blast furnace cement. It gives the indication of
proportions in which the constituents are to be combined to produce different products (subdivided
42
into nine strength classes), the indication of requirements that the constituents have to meet, the
indication of mechanical, physical and chemical requirements and the indication of the rules and the
criteria to assess the conformity of products.
The types of cement and the resistance classes established in the 197-1:2011 standard (Composition,
specifications and conformity criteria for common cements), allow users and designers to meet the
sustainability objectives for cement-based constructions. In part, they allow the producer to minimize
the use of natural primary resources in accordance with local production conditions.
According to this 197 standard, cements can be produced from the following main constituents:
• Portland cement clinker
• Granulated blast furnace slag
• Pozzolanic material (natural or natural calcined)
• Fly ashes (Siliceous, Calcareous, Burnt shale, Limestone and Silica fume)
According to the 197-1 standard, cements can be produced from the following minor additional
constituents that are specially selected, inorganic natural mineral materials, inorganic mineral
materials derived from the clinker production process. The minor additional costituents, after
appropriate preparation and on the account of their particile size distribution, improve the physical
properties of the cement.
All cement compositions must meet specific requisites and performance criteria are specified in a table
of EN 197-1 (prospect 1). However, five main types of cement have been identified (type I, II, III, IV and
V), each of them divided into different subtypes.
In particular:
• Type I cements are cements called “Portland Cement” as they consist in a percentage of
Portland cement clinker of at least 95%.
• Type II cements are cements called "Portland Cement Blends" as they are largely a part of
Portland cement clinker along with other minerals.
• Type III cements are cements called "Blast furnace cements" as they consist of Portland
cement clinker combined with granulated blast furnace slag in percentages over 35% divided
into three production intervals: type III A (granulated blast furnace slag) between 36-65%),
type III B (granulated blast-furnace slag between 66-80%), type III C (granulated blast-furnace
slag between 81-95%).
• Cement type IV, known as "Pozzolanic Cement" consists of a mixture of Portland and micro-
silica cement clinker, natural pozzolane, natural calcined and fly ash. Also, in this type of
cement there are sub-groups, in particular the sub-group A (corresponding to a pozzolan
addition percentage between 11% and 35%) and the sub-group B (corresponding to a pozzolan
addition percentage between 36% and 55%).
• Type V cements, known as "Composite Cements" consisting of a mixture of Portland cements,
blast furnace slag, pozzolane (natural or natural calcined) and / or silica flying ash. Two sub-
groups are envisaged in this type of cement, the sub-group A (relative to percentages of use
of blast-furnace slag between 10% and 30%) and the sub-group B (relative to percentages of
use of pozzolane and ash) between 31% and 50%).
43
Regarding European and also national regulation system following the Eurocodes, each structural
material and/or product should be uniquely identified, qualified (operations both performed by the
manufacturer according to the applicable procedures) and accepted (operation performed by the
Director of Works through the acquisition and verification of the qualification documentation and any
experimental acceptance tests).
As regards the identification and qualification operations, in the case of cements, since the coexistence
period ended on 01/07/2013, they can be carried out only in the presence of the CE marking required
by Directive 89/106 EEC (CPD) and therefore by Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 (CPR). As reported in the
previous sections, moreover, if there is a type of innovative cements not included in the harmonized
standard, the manufacturer can obtain the CE Marking in accordance with the European Technician
Approval (ETA) or alternatively acquire any national approval according to Member States Boards (but
this may vary from State to State).
8.1.2. Environmental Labels and Declarations

Nowadays, no Ecolabel criteria exist for Cement product group. Type II labels might be applicable to
innovative products even if they are not so common in construction industry. As regards Type III
Environmental Labels, the PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-H Cement and building limes (EN 16908) is the
reference PCR for Cement products. It is not a standalone PCR but a further specification of PCR
2012:01 version 2.2 (Figure 25). For all rules and methodological instructions this Sub-PCR refers to the
standard EN 16908:2017 “Cement and building lime - Environmental product declarations - Product
Category Rules complementary to EN 15804”.
This Sub PCR was developed with the following procedure:
• Approval of format for adoption (Technical Committee of the International EPD® System)
• Compliance check of EN 16908:2017 by the Secretariat and the PCR committee
• Development of Sub-PCR
The sub-PCR was published in 2018-03-19 and it will be valid until 2019-03-03, the validity of this sub-
PCR is dependent on the validity of PCR 2012:01 Construction products and construction services.
Figure 19 - Overview of PCR 2012:01 and its sub-PCR (H) to create an EPD
44
In addition to that, CEN/TC 350 “Sustainability of construction works” is the CEN body drafting
standards on sustainability assessment of construction works. The set of standards includes methods
for evaluating across the three pillars of sustainability, from the building or construction works level
down to the level of construction products. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), developed
according to standard EN 15804, provide the relevant environmental information for assessment at
building level.
In this activity CEMBUREAU27 (The European Cement Association) is an active participant in the work
of CEN/TC 350 “Sustainability of construction works”. CEMBUREAU supports the use of whole-life
assessment, at the building or construction work level, over the three pillars of sustainability. Together
with ECRA (European Cement Research Academy) CEMBUREAU has developed Environmental Product
Declarations (EPD), for three cement types:
• Portland cement (CEM I)

• Portland-composite cement (CEM II)
• Blast furnace cement (CEM III)
Constituents of cement as defined in EN 197-1 are:
Main constituents Portland cement clinker

e.g. limestone, blast furnace slag
Calcium sulfate added to the other constituents of cement during its
(gypsum/anhydrite/residual gypsum) manufacture to control setting
Minor additional constituents added to improve the physical properties of the
cement, such as workability or water retention
Additives the total quantity of additives shall not exceed
1,0 % by mass of the cement (except for pigments).
About the life cycle stages/system boundaries, the EPD in according to EN 15804 and ISO 14025 covers
the product stage (“cradle to gate”). The selected system boundaries comprise the production of
cement including raw material extraction up to the finished product at the factory gate. The product
stage contains:
• Module A1: extraction and processing of raw materials and primary fuels
• Module A2: transportation up to the factory gate and internal transports
• Module A3: cement production
The following is a schematic representation of the cement manufacturing process from quarry to
dispatch (production stage, information modules A1 to A3).
27
CEMBUREAU, the European Cement Association (https://cembureau.eu/home) based in Brussels, is the
representative organisation of the cement industry in Europe. Currently, its Full Members are the national
cement industry associations and cement companies of the European Union (except for Malta and Slovakia) plus
Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. Croatia and Serbia are Associate Members of CEMBUREAU. A cooperation
agreement has been concluded with Vassiliko Cement in Cyprus.
45
Figure 20 - Cement manufacturing process from quarry to dispatch.
EPD for CEM I
In Portland cement (CEM I) the total of main constituents and minor additional constituents is
composed of 95-100 M.-% cement clinker and 0-5% minor additional constituents. Based on the data
provided by CEMBUREAU members in the context of the development of this EPD (cf. “Background
data”, page 5), the following CEM I composition was assumed for the LCA model:
Portland cement clinker 925 kg/t

Calcium sulfate 45 kg/t
Chromate reducing agents (ferrous sulfate or ferrogranulate) 3 kg/t
Others (limestone, filter dust) 27 kg/t
TOTAL 1000 kg
EPD for CEM II
In Portland-composite cement (CEM II) the total of main constituents and minor additional
constituents is composed of 65 M.-% to 94 M.-% cement clinker, 0 M.-% to 5 M.-% minor additional
constituents and
• up to 35 M.-% limestone
• up to 35 M.-% blast furnace slag
• up to 35 M.-% pozzolana
46
• up to 35 M.-% fly ash

• up to 35 M.-% burnt shale
• up to 10 M.-% silica fume.
A representative European CEM II cement was modelled by calculating averages (weighted by the
production volume in the respective countries) of the available European production data. Based on
the data provided by CEMBUREAU members in the context of the development of this EPD (cf.
“Background data”, page 5), the following CEM II composition was assumed for the LCA model:

Limestone 110 kg/t
Blast furnace slag 35 kg/t
Pozzolana 10 kg/t
Fly ash 20 kg/t
Chromate reducing agents (ferrous sulfate or ferrogranulate) 3 kg/t
Others (e.g. burnt shale, filter dust) 17 kg/t
TOTAL 1000 kg
EPD for CEM III
In Blast furnace cement (CEM III) the total of main constituents and minor additional constituents is
composed of 5 M.-% to 64 M.-% cement clinker, 36 M.-% to 95 M.-% blast furnace slag and 0 M.-% to
5 M.-% minor additional constituents.
Based on the data provided by CEMBUREAU members in the context of the development of this EPD
(cf. “Background data”, page 5), the following CEM III composition was assumed for the LCA model:

Blast furnace slag 500 kg/t
Limestone 7 kg/t
Chromate reducing agents 2 kg/t
(ferrous sulfate or ferrogranulate)
Others (e.g. burnt shale, filter dust) 6 kg/t
TOTAL 1000 kg
Innovative cements are currently being studied, for example in Hisier's D3.7 where cements were
tested with three types of waste materials, namely, concrete, bricks and glass, observing the impact of
replacing cement with this waste, in this specific case, an attempt was made to replace cement as
much as possible with waste materials, but remaining within the scope of the cement standard.
47
8.1.3. Other certifications

As from the EOTA website, 16 ETAs with EADs seem to be available for innovative cements28.
As from the ETV website, no ETV seem to be available neither for innovative cements or for innovative
process of recycling and reuse29. This could be an interesting opportunity especially for the verification
of an innovative processes with declared environmental benefits, giving wide visibility to products such
as the ones developed within HISER project.
8.1.4. Normative references

The following standards, in whole or in part referenced in this report, have been analysed as they are
essential for a good comprehension of the “Cement” issue and therefore of the present document.
Some of them are not used but are nevertheless cited for completeness as they are cross referenced
to the main standards. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
National transposition of these standards from the Member states is often available.
• EN 15804:2012+A1:2013 - Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product
declarations - Core rules for the product category of construction products
• EN 15643-1:2010 - Sustainability of construction works - Sustainability assessment of buildings
- Part 1: General framework
• EN 16908:2017, - Cement and building lime - Environmental product declarations - Product
category rules complementary to EN 15804
• EN 197-1:2011, - Cement - Part 1: Composition, specifications and conformity criteria for
common cements
• EN 196-1:2016 - Methods of testing cement - Part 1: Determination of strength
• EN 196-2:2013 - Method of testing cement - Part 2: Chemical analysis of cement
• EN 196-3:2016 - Methods of testing cement - Part 3: Determination of setting times and
soundness
• EN 196-5:2011 - Methods of testing cement - Part 5: Pozzolanicity test for pozzolanic cement
• EN 196-6:2018 - Methods of testing cement - Part 6: Determination of fineness
• EN 196-7:2007 - Methods of testing cement - Part 7: Methods of taking and preparing samples
of cement
• EN 196-8:2010 - Methods of testing cement - Part 8: Heat of hydration - Solution method
• EN 196-9:2010 - Methods of testing cement - Part 9: Heat of hydration - Semi-adiabatic method
• Directive 89/106 EEC
• Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 (CPR)
• ISO 15392:2008 - Sustainability in building construction -- General principles
• ISO 21931-1:2010 - Sustainability in building construction -- Framework for methods of
assessment of the environmental performance of construction works Buildings
28
https://www.eota.eu/pages/etassessments/default.aspx (accessed 3 January, 2019)
29
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/etv/documents/159 (accessed 3 January, 2019)
48
• ISO 14040:2006 - Environmental management - Life cycle assessment - Principles and

framework
• ISO 14025:2006 - Environmental labels and declarations -- Type III environmental declarations
-- Principles and procedures
• EN 15942:2011 - Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product declarations -
Communication format business-to- business
• ISO 14024:2018 - Environmental labels and declarations - Type I environmental labelling -
Principles and procedures
• ISO/TS 15686-9:2008 - Buildings and constructed assets -- Service-life planning Guidance on
assessment of service-life data
• EN 15643-2:2011 - Sustainability of construction works - Assessment of buildings - Part 2:
Framework for the assessment of environmental performance
• EN 15978:2011 - Sustainability of construction works - Assessment of environmental
performance of buildings - Calculation method
• ISO 21930:2017 Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works -- Core rules for
environmental product declarations of construction products and services
Product Category Rules for concrete and concrete elements
8.1.5. Gap Analysis and possible improvement

In order to use C&DMs in the construction industry, the reference standard for cement production,
EN197-1, needs to be updated. The main issue that impede to apply the EN 197-1 to C&D waste-based
cement is due to the compositions of cement allowed in that standard.
As previously mentioned, EN 197-1 is now under revision in order to align terminology with the CPR
and standardize new types of cements. Cement specifications will evolve towards new additions,
especially coming from industrial waste and by-products and new cements resulting from that.
The published harmonized standard CEN/TR 16912:2016 “Guidelines for a procedure to support the
European standardization of cements” is a technical report which provides guidance for the procedure
to be followed in order to support the European standardization of new cements that are not covered
by the existing European standards.
There have been some producers who have used these fine recycled aggregates as raw material to
produce industrial cement containing recycled sands and develop a methodology to optimize these
CDW valorization in cement manufacture. The use of these materials in cement plants offers a new
application for these recycled products and avoids consumption of natural raw materials (limestone,
marls and clays) traditionally used for cement production.
The cement defined in HISER D3.7 (§3.2.1) is an example of C&D waste cement, based on a mix of CEM
I 52.5 Portland and three types of waste materials, combined in various percentage, in order to
evaluate the changing of performance:
49
- Waste brick
- Waste concrete fines
- Waste float glass
The final target was to produce a CEM II 42.5 R cement by adding waste materials (single or mixed
wastes) into a commercial CEM I 52.5 cement.
To allow the use of CE Marking on cement with added C&D waste an integration in EN 197-1 is needed.
In § 5.2 is possible to adding the characteristics of the constituents in three new sub-paragraphs:
- 5.2.8 Clay brick powder

- 5.2.9 Concrete powder
- 5.2.10 Glass powder
In HISER D3.7 is been analyzed the levels of fineness needed to obtain performance comparable with
commercial cements (see §3.1 D 3.7), and the main quality criteria like:
- the compressive strengths after 2days and 28days

- the impact of the waste materials on the rheology
- the setting time
are checked.
An integration in table 1 of EN 197-1 is also needed in order to assign a name to this new kind of
cements. It is possible to include them in CEM II, because the cements obtained are a mix of Portland
and C&D waste materials.
This work will require the update of the followed parts of standard and the related standard, but it can
be the simplest way in allow the cement based on C&D waste to be included into the cement market.
To guarantee the safety for users, before to use the C&D waste materials, it is important to test the
material in order to avoid the presence of hazardous components according to hazardous properties
defined in Waste Framework Directive (Annex III).
50
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
Exist an harmonized standard (EN 197-1) Before to include the cements based on
that include most different kind of C&D waste materials, a deep overview of
cements, can allow the adding of new all the related standard is needed.
cement based on C&D waste based
materials. The update or the draft of a new
standard require long time.
A standard is available to declare the
environmental advantage for cements
(EN 16908:2017) and can be used to draft
the EPD.
Voluntary EPD is been developed by
productor's associations
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
A future harmonized standard that Several testing evidence are needed
include cement with C&D waste can be before to include the ner cement into the
developed starting by CEN TR 16912:206 harmonized standard. The new cement
“Guidelines for a procedure to support can require the changing the test
the European standardization of specifications (see HISER D3.7)
cements”, the new standards shall
contain CE marking property related the
7th essential requirement: Sustanaible
use of natural resources, like the
percentage of recylced material. Now to
prove the recycled percentage, only
voluntary certifications are available.
51
8.2. Concrete and Recycled Aggregates

Construction materials are increasingly judged by their ecological characteristics. Concrete recycling
gains importance because it protects natural resources and eliminates the need for disposal by using
the readily available concrete as an aggregate source for new concrete or other applications. Recycling
of concrete is a relatively simple process which involves breaking, removing, and crushing existing
concrete into a material with a specified size and quality.
As one of the main constituents of concrete, aggregates are able to characterize its mechanical
performance, while not acting in the chemical process of setting and hardening the concrete. They
occupy a large part of the volume of the finished material (equal to about 65-75% of the total volume).
In the mixture of concrete, they help to realize a solid structure, reduce the quantity of binder (and
therefore reduce the heat due to the exothermic hydration process), counteract shrinkage and
cracking.
The use of recycled concrete aggregates as an alternative source of coarse aggregates for the
production of new concrete can help to solve the problem of depleting natural resources and that of
growing waste disposal crisis.
Aggregates are generally classified according to their origin. We speak of natural aggregates when they
derive from natural deposits or rock crushing; artificial aggregates are those obtained through
industrial processes on organic or inorganic products while recycled aggregates are those deriving from
the selection and shattering of waste from construction and demolition work.
It is possible to distinguish recycled aggregates for concrete in three different macro-types:
• aggregates from construction and demolition waste (CDW), characterized by a wide variety of
materials and, for this reason, are generally classified according to the way of generating this
kind of waste.
• aggregates from rendered concrete, which represent the shares of concrete not used in
castings and therefore returned by the customer to the manufacturer.
• aggregates from excavation, deriving from excavated earth and rocks from which, generally,
smaller quantities of aggregates are extracted, useful for the production of concrete.
The use of recycled aggregates in concrete has been growing in importance, thanks to the
commitments made by environmental protection policies.
Numerous studies have investigated the possibilities of using recycled aggregates in concrete mixes as
partial replacement of the conventional coarse aggregate (gravel)., although the majority of them has
basically focused on the use of aggregates from recovered crushed concrete (RCA), as their properties
do not differ as much of the natural aggregates. Given the typical composition of CDW, there are
basically two types of recycled aggregates:
• aggregates obtained from crushed concrete (RCA)
• aggregates comprising mixed components with varying percentages of ceramic material.
Apart from the recovered crushed concrete, CDW includes a wide range of inert materials whose
composition is affected by numerous factors, including the raw materials and construction products
used, the architectural techniques, and the local construction and demolition practices. In many
52
Mediterranean countries, such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, or Greece, the construction of buildings is
usually based on ceramic elements combined with mortar and concrete. Furthermore, recycled
aggregates also include small amounts of other materials (impurities) depending on the origin of the
waste and the treatment process carried out in the recycling plant.
The use of RCA is supported by most of the standards which allow the use of secondary materials in
the concrete manufacture, while many countries still not have considered other kind of recycled
aggregates. For example, in Spain, the Spanish Code on Structural Concrete (EHE-08) only allows this
type of recycled aggregate for its inclusion up to 20% in concrete mixes, excluding the mixed recycled
aggregates (MixRA), even for non-structural concretes30.
There are anyway some issues to consider: recycled concrete aggregates contain not only the original
aggregates, but also hydrated cement paste. This paste reduces the specific gravity and increases the
porosity compared to similar virgin aggregates. Higher porosity of recycled aggregate characteristics
leads to a higher absorption. Furthermore, recycled concrete aggregates absorb a large amount of
carbon dioxide from the surrounding environment. The natural process of carbonation occurs in all
concrete from the surface inward. In the process of crushing concrete to create recycled concrete
aggregates, areas of the concrete that have not carbonated are exposed to atmospheric carbon
dioxide.

As concrete may be used either for structural or non-structural purpose, there are many normative
references to be considered: EN 206:2013+A1:2016 is the main European standard on concrete, while
other standards specify requirements for its constituents (cement, aggregates, mixing water, etc.).
As regards concrete for structural use, Eurocodes regulate the design and execution of structures;
these are implemented by the Member countries through National building legislation and regulation.
30
Quality Assessment of Mixed and Ceramic Recycled Aggregates from Construction and Demolition Wastes in
the Concrete Manufacture According to the Spanish Standard. Available from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274656662_Quality_Assessment_of_Mixed_and_Ceramic_Recycled
_Aggregates_from_Construction_and_Demolition_Wastes_in_the_Concrete_Manufacture_According_to_the_
Spanish_Standard [accessed Jan 03 2019].
53
Figure 21 – Relationships between EN 206 and standards for design and execution
CEN/TC 104 deals with the Standardization of provisions for concrete and related products, in
particular with respect to properties and requirements for fresh and hardened concrete (including
production and delivery of fresh concrete), constituent materials of concrete (e.g. mixing water,
additions and admixtures), production and execution of sprayed concrete, products for the protection
and repair of concrete structures. Anyway the constituent materials (e.g. aggregates, pigments,
cement) are not covered by the scope of TC 104; neither are precast concrete products or
prefabricated autoclave aerated and no-fines light weight concrete components.
More in detail, CEN/TC 154 – Aggregates is the Technical Body in the construction activity sector whose
scope is Standardization in the field of natural and synthetic aggregates, by specifying aggregate
performance requirements, sampling and methods of test. In particular, this Technical Body is divided
into six subcommittees and four working groups:
• CEN/TC 154/SC 1 - Aggregates for mortars
• CEN/TC 154/SC 2 - Aggregates for concrete, including those for use in roads and pavements
• CEN/TC 154/SC 3 - Bituminous bound aggregates
• CEN/TC 154/SC 4 - Hydraulic bound and unbound aggregates
• CEN/TC 154/SC 5 - Lightweight aggregates
• CEN/TC 154/SC 6 - Test methods
• CEN/TC 154/WG 10 - Armourstone
54
• CEN/TC 154/WG 11 - Railway ballast

• CEN/TC 154/WG 12 - Aggregates from secondary source
• CEN/TC 154/WG 13 - Dangerous substances
Many standards have been developed during these years and are currently working one:
• EN 206:2013+A1:2016 - Concrete - Specification, performance, production and conformity
• EN 12620:2002+ A1:2008 - Aggregates for concretes
• EN 13055:2016 - Lightweight aggregates
The main European concrete standard EN 206:2013+A1:2016 “Concrete - Specification, performance,
production and conformity” (new edition of the formerly EN 206 series published in 2000) applies to
concrete for structures cast in situ, precast structures, and precast structural products for buildings
and civil engineering construction. The concrete may be mixed on site, ready-mixed or produced in a
plant for precast concrete products.
The standard specifies requirements for:
• the constituents of concrete;
• the properties of fresh and hardened concrete and their verification;
• the limitations for concrete composition;
• the specification of concrete;
• the delivery of fresh concrete;
• the production control procedures;
• the conformity criteria and evaluation of conformity.
Within EN 206 Standard, aggregates are addressed in clause 5.1.3 (requirements of the constituents),
5.2.3 (selection of aggregates), D.2.2 (aggregates for geotechnical works) and Annex E, which provides
guidance on suitable categories for natural aggregates, air-cooled blastfurnace slag aggregates,
lightweight aggregates and coarse recycled aggregates. It also contains recommendations for the use
of recycled aggregates in concrete.
EN 206 is not a harmonised standard. Where general solutions have not been agreed across Europe,
relevant clauses permit the application of national standards or provisions valid where the concrete is
used. “Provisions valid in the place of use” have been defined in EN 206 as national provisions given in
a National Foreword or National Annex to this Standard or in a complementary standard to EN 206
applicable in the place of use of the concrete. Annex M of EN 206 “Guidance on provisions valid in the
place of use” lists all these provisions/permissions (e.g. transport times to site; resistance to alkali-
carbonate reaction, provisions for sulfate resistance with mobile ground water etc).
EN 206 is the only European standard for the production of concrete, and many of its provisions should
apply to any concrete production. Anyway there are some unclear ‘grey’ areas with respect to the
scope of EN 206 (which covers concrete for structures and structural precast concrete) about site-
made concretes on small and medium-sized house building sites and non-structural precast products,
where often the definition of ‘structural’ and ‘non-structural’ might be slightly different: it is unrealistic
to think that EN 206 (or any other standard) will be used for minor works where the concrete is
produced on site.
Furthermore, EN 206 requires constituents to have established suitability, which may come from
conformity to a standard cited in EN 206, or from provisions valid in the place of use, or, for innovative
55
products such as the ones from CDW, from an ETA or national technical approval (NTA) that specifically
refers to EN 206. Anyway it has to be highlighted that any assessment of a ‘Product’ under an ETA
evaluates the impact on durability, but durability requirements under EN 206 are given in the
“Provisions valid in the place of use,” which might differ from country to country.
A report from the European Ready-Mixed Concrete Organization (ERMCO) suggests, as a pragmatic
solution to this issue, that the manufacturer select the countries in which specific suitability is to be
established, and as part of the technical assessment the national requirements there are taken into
account by the Body issuing the ETA/NTA when determining specific suitability31.
As regards aggregates for concrete, since the entry into force of Directive 89/106/CEE they must be
provided with a CE marking system. For the CE marking of aggregates for concrete to be used with high
safety requirements (whether natural, manufactured by-products of industrial processes or recycled),
the harmonized standards impose a “type 2+” attestation of conformity system, according to which
the manufacturer must carry out:
• Checks on incoming raw materials
• Controls during the process and on finished product
• Periodic checks of production equipment and measuring instruments
For “type 2+” system it is also necessary the intervention of a "Notified Body for production control",
with the task of initial inspection of the production facilities and the factory production control and
surveillance of the factory production.
Aggregates for uses without high safety requirements, are required a “type 4” attestation of
conformity system which does not require the action of the Notified Body.
The CE marking is the conclusion of this process through which it is possible to assess, ensure (through
test procedures, calculation and production control) and finally declare the performance of a
construction product.
The essential requirements to be satisfied by the aggregates in concrete are determined by the specific
harmonized standards developed by CEN (through Technical Commission TC 154) as part of the M/125
mandate. With regard to aggregates, the main Harmonized standards developed since the entry into
force of Directive 89/106 are:
• EN 12620:2002+ A1:2008 - Aggregates for concretes
• EN 13139:2002 - Aggregates for mortar
• EN 13242:2002+A1:2007 - Aggregates for unbound and hydraulically bound materials for use
in civil engineering work and road construction
• EN 13043:2002 - Aggregates for bituminous mixtures and surface treatments for roads,
airfields and other trafficked areas
For the purpose of the present report the most interesting standards are the following:
31
European Ready-Mixed Concrete Organization, “ERMCO Guide to EN206:2013”, 9 January 2014. Available at
https://webapi.ingenio-web.it/immagini/file/byname?name=ermco-guide-to-en206-2013-8_1_2014-final-
amd1-1.pdf
56
• The EN 12620:2002+ A1:2008 standard, “Aggregates for concrete”, has come into force in 1
January 2002 and has superseded the previous EN 12620:2002 standard. It defines the
properties of aggregates and filler aggregates obtained by natural processes manufactured or
recycled materials and mixtures of these aggregates for use in concrete. It also specifies that
a quality control system is in place for use in factory production control and it provides for the
evaluation of conformity of the products to this European Standard.
• The European Standard EN 13055:2016 Lightweight aggregates specifies the properties of
Lightweight Aggregates (LWA) and fillers derived thereof obtained by processing natural or
manufactured materials and mixtures of these aggregates for concrete, mortar and grout,
bituminous mixtures and surface treatments and for unbound and hydraulically bound
applications in construction works. This European Standard covers LWA of mineral origin
including LWA manufactured from by-products of industrial processes or from recycled source
materials. A list of source materials and specific materials, which are within the scope of this
standard, is given in Annex A (normative).
With the objective to reduce the use of natural resources, the European Union has decided to give
more importance to recycled aggregates (deriving from CDWaste) as long as they comply with certain
fixed performance requirements. Although most of the use of recycled aggregates concerns road
works according to the harmonized standard EN 13242 - Aggregates for road mixtures, bound and
unbound, recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste to be used in construction
works are covered by EN 12620:2002+ A1:2008. The innovative aspects of EN 12620:2002+ A1:2008
relate to the adoption of an amendment approved by CEN on 16 February 2008, which introduced
clauses for recycled aggregates calling up new test methods (prEN 933-1, EN 1744-5, EN 1744-6 and
EN 1367-4). The scope of this harmonised standard is to define the properties of aggregates and its
mixtures for use in concrete and it covers also recycled aggregates with densities between 1500 kg/m3
and 2000 kg/m3. One of the most important content of this harmonised standard regards the
classification of the constituent of coarse recycled aggregates. According to this standard, the
proportion of constituent materials in coarse recycled aggregate shall be determined in accordance
with prEN 933-11 and shall be declared as shown in the following table.
57
Figure 22 – Extract from EN 12620:2002+A1:2008 Table 20 “Categories for constituents of coarse recycled aggregates”
The key physical properties of the recycled aggregates to be tested are: particle size distributions, fine
content, sand equivalent, density, water absorption, flakiness index, and resistance to fragmentation.

Nowadays, no Ecolabel criteria exist for Concrete or Aggregates product group (concrete is only
considered as a pavement in Hard Coverings product group). Type II labels might be applicable to
innovative products even if they are not so common in construction industry. As regards Type III
Environmental Labels, the European Standard EN 15804:2012+A1:2013 provides core product
category rules (PCR) for Type III environmental declarations for any construction product and
construction service. for all construction products and services. It provides a structure to ensure that
all EPD of construction products, construction services and construction processes are derived, verified
and presented in a harmonized way. The EN 16757:2017 provide additional rules for EPD specifically
for concrete and concrete elements for buildings and civil engineering, excluded autoclaved aerated
concrete.
In addition to the common parts of EN 15804:2012+A1:2013, this standard defines:
• The system boundaries;
• Stages of a product’s life cycle to be considered in the EPD and which processes are to be
included in the life cycle stages;
• The modelling and assessment of material-specific characteristics;
• Allocation procedures for multi-output processes along the production chain;
58
• Allocation procedure for reuse and recycling;

• Includes the rules for calculating the LCI and the LCIA underlying the EPD;
• Provides guidance/specific rules for the determination of the reference service life (SRL);
• Gives guidance on the establishment of default scenarios;
• Gives guidance on default functional units for concrete elements;
• Content of the EPD;
• Gives information to communicate EPDs.
The EN 16757:2017 is intended to be used either for cradle to gate, cradle to gate with options or
cradle to grave assessment, provided the intentions are properly stated in the system boundary
description. Within the construction works context, a cradle to grave declaration delivers a more
comprehensive understanding of the environmental impact associated with concrete and concrete
elements.
The standard defines that in a PCR for LCA of concrete and concrete elements, the functional unit is
based on the function performed by the product in the construction work and on the SRL of the
product. The functional units for concrete elements shall give the following information:
• Type and dimension;
• Intended use;
• Main performance characteristics of concrete or concrete elements;
• Reference service life.
The system boundaries are define as in the Figure 23 for ready-mixed and site-mixed concrete and in
the ¡Error! No se encuentra el origen de la referencia. for precast concrete.
Figure 23 – System boundary for ready-mixed and site mixed concrete (EN 16757:2017).
59
In the Figure 24 it is possible to see a typical process define in the standard at the end-of-life of concrete
and concrete product and their assignment to life cycle modules.
Figure 24 – Typical processes at the end-of-life of concrete and concrete product (EN 16757:2017).
Using this standard is possible to develop a PCR for concrete and concrete elements according to the
rules described in the section 6.3.
The PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-G Concrete and concrete elements (EN 16757) is not a standalone PCR but
a further specification of PCR 2012:01 version 2.2 (Figure 25). For all rules and methodological
instructions this Sub-PCR refers to the standard EN 16757:2017 described above.
• Approval of format for adoption (Technical Committee of the International EPD® System)
• Compliance check of EN 16757:2017 by the Secretariat and the PCR committee
• Development of Sub-PCR
• Publication on www.environdec.com
The sub-PCR was published in 2018-03-02 and it will be valid until 2019-03-03. The validity of this sub-
Figure 25 - Overview of PCR 2012:01 and this sub-PCR (G) to create an EPD
60
It is now under development and should be published by 2019 the new ISO 13315-8 Standard
(Environmental management for concrete and concrete structures -- Part 8: Environmental labels and
declarations) which should comprehensively include Type I environmental labelling and Type III
environmental declarations in one standard in a harmonized way. It is intended to provide the clear
and scientifically sound principles and procedures for the environmental labels and declarations for
concrete and concrete structures that are consistent with ISO 14020, ISO 14024, ISO 14025 and ISO
21930.

As from the EOTA website, no ETAs neither EADs seem to be available for innovative aggregates32.
This is probably due to the applicability of CE marking process to the most common recycled
aggregates.
As from the ETV website, no ETV seem to be available neither for innovative aggregates or for
innovative process of recycling and reuse33. This could be an interesting opportunity especially for the
verification of an innovative processes with declared environmental benefits, giving wide visibility to
products such as the ones developed within HISER project.
As regards rating systems for green buildings such as LEED, the use of recycled aggregates is rewarded
in order to encourage the replacement of raw materials with waste materials that would otherwise go
to landfills. There are two categories of recycled materials under LEED Materials&Resources (MR)
credits: Post-Consumer and Pre-Consumer. Using recycled aggregates instead of extracted aggregates
would qualify as Post-consumer. Because concrete is an assembly, its recycled content should be
calculated as a percentage of recycled material on a mass basis. Aggregate replacements could include
Post-Consumer products such as recycled glass or recycled building demolition waste. They could also
include Pre-Consumer recycled materials that have not passed through the consumer waste stream
but they are waste products from manufacturing processes. A possible solution for the market uptake
of products made from pre-consumer or post-consumer material diverted from the waste stream
could therefore be a Recycled Content Certification by a Third Party according to EN ISO 14021:2016.
This kind of certification measures the percentage of recycled content for the purpose of making an
accurate claim in the marketplace and can make a product “LEED compliant” helping the building to
achieve a higher score.

essential for a good comprehension of the “Concrete/Aggregates” issue and therefore of the present
document. Some of them are not used but are nevertheless cited for completeness as they are cross
referenced to the main standards. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
32
33
61
• EN 206:2013+A1:2016 - Concrete - Specification, performance, production and conformity
• EN 12620:2002+a1:2008 - Aggregates for concrete
• EN 13242:2002+A1:2007 - Aggregates for unbound and hydraulically bound materials for use
in civil engineering work and road construction.
• EN 1992-1-1:2004/A1:2014 - Eurocode 2: Design of concrete structures - Part 1-1: General
rules and rules for buildings
• EN 1992-2:2005/AC:2008 - Eurocode 2 - Design of concrete structures - Concrete bridges -
Design and detailing rules
• EN 13369:2018 - Common rules for precast concrete products
• EN 13670:2009 - Execution of concrete structures
• EN 15804:2012+A1:2013 - Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product
declarations - Core rules for the product category of construction products
• ISO 15392:2008 - Sustainability in building construction - General principles
• EN 15643-1:2010 - Sustainability of construction works - Sustainability assessment of buildings
- Part 1: General framework
• ISO 21931-1:2010 - Sustainability in building construction - Framework for methods of
• CEN/TR 15615:2008 - Explanation of the general relationship between various European
standards and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) - Umbrella Document
• ISO 14025:2006 - Environmental labels and declarations -- Type III environmental declarations
-- Principles and procedures
• ISO 14040:2006 - Environmental management - Life cycle assessment - Principles and
framework
62
Exist two harmonized standard that Overall the Europe there is not an
include the recycled aggregates agreement about properties of concrete,
in EN 206 relevant clauses allow the
- EN 13242:2008 for road mixtures from
application of national standards or
construction and demolition waste
provvision. That impede the
- EN 12620:2002+A1:2008 for concrete developement of a homogeneus market
aggregates for aggregate from C&D waste
A standard is available to declare the
environmental advantage for concrete
and concrete elements (EN 16757:2017)
and can be used to draft the EPD.
THREATS
OPPORTUNITIES
The difference in the constructions
The table 20 of EN 12620 and table 13 of
between the EU States can obstacle the
EN 13242 define a category that include
spreading of common rules
the percentage of recycled aggregates.
This parameter, included into CE Mark,
can be used to demonstrate the
suistanability of the product.
63
8.3. Bricks
Man has used bricks for building purpose for thousand years. Bricks date back to 7000 BC, which makes
them one of the oldest known building materials. The first bricks, made in areas with warm climates,
were mud bricks dried in the sun for hardening. The greatest breakthrough came with the invention
of fired brick in about 3500 BC. From this moment on, bricks could be made without the heat of sun
and soon became popular in cooler climates.
Nowadays in Europe, together with wood, bricks are one of the most common building material,
especially in the Mediterranean area, with a great development in brick industry and great possibilities
for innovation.
About the environmental performance, despite the potential long life of clay brick buildings (more than
100-150 years), they are sometimes demolished well before the end of their technical life. When a
building is demolished, the clay bricks and roof tiles can continue their useful life by being reused in a
new building. In addition, possible uses for clay recycling materials are:
• Reuse as bricks and tiles
• Filling and stabilizing material for infrastructure works
• Aggregates for in-situ and precast concrete and mortars
• Aggregates for calcium silicate masonry units
• Tennis sand
• Plant substrates
• …
Today masonry CDW is currently considered as the “low-grade” fraction of mixed recycled aggregates
(due to the lower compressive strength compared to concrete aggregates) and is often recycled at a
very low level as embankment or fill material. The use of recycled masonry fractions from construction
and demolition waste (CDW) in the manufacturing of new bricks is therefore an opportunity to explore.
If masonry CDW shall be reused at higher levels, two steps are necessary:
• At first, the material must be divided into material groups by a selective demolition and/or a
separation during the processing in the recycling plant.
• Then, the separated materials must be prepared for the intended utilization.
Either they can be led back as raw material into the original products or they form the basic material
for new products making use of the special characteristics of the separated materials directly.
Increasing needs of the market concerning cost and quality require continuing improvement of
equipment and processing in the masonry products industry. These technical influences will also affect
standardization, particularly with respect to the revision of European Standards in order to mirror the
state of the art in a traditional industrial sector with a widely varying product range.

CEN/TC 125 – Masonry is the Technical Body in the masonry activity sector whose scope is
Standardization in the field of masonry units of clay, calcium silicate, dense aggregate concrete,
lightweight aggregate concrete, autoclaved aerated concrete, natural stone, manufactured stone,
mortar for masonry, ancillary components for masonry and associated test methods.
64
CEN/TC 125 standards address the Commission's Mandate M/116 which is derived from the
Construction Product Regulation and used as the technical basis to support commercial transactions
and to ensure compliance with the Regulation.
In particular, this Technical Body is divided into nine working groups and subcommittees:
• CEN/TC 125/WG 1 Masonry units
• CEN/TC 125/WG 2 Mortar
• CEN/TC 125/WG 3 Ancillary components
• CEN/TC 125/WG 4 Test methods
• CEN/TC 125/WG 5 Application of external rendering and internal plastering
• CEN/TC 125/WG 6 Thermal properties for masonry
• CEN/TC 125/WG 7 Dangerous substances
• CEN/TC 125/WG 8 Environmental product declaration
• CEN/TC 125/WG 9 Clay flooring blocks
The CEN/TC 125 was set up by the European Standards Organization (CEN) in 1988, with an extensive
structure of Working Groups and Task Groups of experts for detailed drafting. It covers all types of
masonry units, mortars and renders and ancillary components and test methods for all those products
and for masonry itself.
Many standards have been developed during these years and are currently under development:
between them, EN 771-1:2011+A1:2015 is the reference standard for clay masonry units. It has been
prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 125 “Masonry”, the secretariat of which is held by BSI34.
This standard specifies the characteristics and performance requirements for masonry elements
manufactured with bricks for use in masonry constructions. It defines the relative performances, for
example, to dimensional tolerances, resistance, and density determined according to the
corresponding test methods contained in other European standards. Currently, EN 771 series is under
revision in preliminary status since May 201835.
Like for concrete, masonry can be used either for structural or non-structural purpose: Eurocode 6 -
Design of Masonry Structures (EN 1996) is the reference European Standard implemented by the
Member States.

Nowadays, no Ecolabel criteria exist for Brick/Masonry product group (only terracotta/ceramics
floorings or tiles are considered in Hard Coverings product group). Type II labels might be applicable
to innovative products even if they are not so common in construction industry. As regards Type III
Environmental Labels, the European Standard EN 15804:2012+A1:2013 provides core product
34
https://standards.cen.eu/dyn/www/f?p=204:7:0::::FSP_ORG_ID:6107&cs=1A4B44FBD70153D73CE683CCEEEEC
B7E8
35
https://standards.cen.eu/dyn/www/f?p=204:110:0::::FSP_PROJECT,FSP_LANG_ID:67267,25&cs=18985E05C4B
780D56DFC6AD78CA5F511D
65
category rules (PCR) for Type III environmental declarations for any construction product and
construction service for all construction products and services. It provides a structure to ensure that
all EPD of construction products, construction services and construction processes are derived, verified
and presented in a harmonized way.
At the moment, it is available the document PCR 2012:01 construction products and construction
services (EN 15804). This document serves as Product Category Rules (PCR) and it aims to be the main
way to develop and register EPDs in the International EPD System, compliant with the European
standard EN 15804:2012+A1:2013 (Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product
declarations - Core rules for the product category of construction products).
PCR 2012:01 may also be the basis for development of "sub-PCRs" for more specific product categories.
• If this document is used as a PCR, it may be used for Construction products and construction
services for an EPD based on a declared unit, cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-gate with options;
• If this document is used together with a sub-PCR, it may be used for an EPD based on a
functional unit, cradle-to-grave.
The PCR 2012:01-Sub-PCR-D Bricks, blocks, tiles, flagstone of clay and siliceous earths is not a
standalone PCR but a further specification of PCR 2012:01 version 2.2 (Figure 26Figure 25).
• Draft proposed (industry stakeholders);
• Coordination of this document in relation to the PCR for Construction product and
construction services and other similar documents;
• Open consultation period;
• Review and approval (Technical Committee of the International EPD® System)
• Publication on www.environdec.com
This sub-PCR was published in 2017-05-30 and it will be valid until 2019-03-03. The validity of this sub-
In addition, CEN/TC125/WG8 has been charged in 2016 to develop an “Environmental product
declarations - Product category rules complementary to EN 15904 for masonry products” EN Standard
which is currently in preliminary status36.
36
https://standards.cen.eu/dyn/www/f?p=204:22:0::::FSP_ORG_ID,FSP_LANG_ID:6107,25&cs=1E0E44510B418D
67F81ED81F57C592489
66
Figure 26 - Overview of PCR 2012:01 and its sub-PCRs to create EPDs with different scopes

As from the EOTA website, n. 2 ETAs with EADs seem to be available for innovative bricks/masonry
products (one for Building blocks made from bricks and cellular glass core, and another one for Re-
cycled clay masonry units, both issued in 2018)37. This could be a possibility for innovative products
such as the one developed within HISER project.
As from the ETV website, no ETV seem to be available for innovative bricks or masonry use38. This
could be an interesting opportunity especially for the verification of an innovative processes with
declared environmental benefits, giving wide visibility to products such as the ones developed within
HISER project.
As regards rating systems for green buildings such as LEED, the use of recycled products is rewarded
credits: Post-Consumer and Pre-Consumer. Using recovered materials instead of raw materials would
qualify as Post-consumer. A possible solution for the market uptake of products made from pre-
consumer or post-consumer material diverted from the waste stream could therefore be a Recycled
Content Certification by a Third Party according to EN ISO 14021:2016. This kind of certification
measures the percentage of recycled content for the purpose of making an accurate claim in the
marketplace and can make a product “LEED compliant” helping the building to achieve a higher score.

essential for a good comprehension of the “Bricks/Masonry” issue and therefore of the present
document. Some of them are not used but are nevertheless cited for completeness as they are cross
referenced to the main standards. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
37
https://www.eota.eu/pages/etassessments/default.aspx (accessed 3 January 2019)
38
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/etv/documents/159 (accessed 3 January 2019)
67
• EN 771-1:2011+A1:2015 - Specification for masonry units - Part 1: Clay masonry units

• EN 772-1:2011+A1:2015 – Methods of test for masonry units – Part 1: Determination of
compressive strength
• EN 772-3:1998 – Methods of test for masonry units – Part 3: Determination of net volume and
percentage of voids of clay masonry units by hydrostatic weighing
• EN 772-5:2016/AC:2017 – Methods of test for masonry units – Part 5: Determination of the
active soluble salts content of clay masonry units
• EN 772-7:1998 – Methods of test for masonry units – Part 7: Determination of water
absorption of clay masonry damp proof course units by boiling in water
• EN 772-9:1998/A1:2005 – Methods of test for masonry units – Part 9: Determination of volume
and percentage of voids and net volume of clay and calcium silicate masonry units by sand
filling
absorption of aggregate concrete, autoclaved aerated concrete, manufactured stone and
natural stone masonry units due to capillary action and the initial rate of water absorption of
clay masonry units
• EN 772-13:2000 – Methods of test for masonry units – Part 13: Determination of net and gross
dry density of masonry units (except for natural stone)
• EN 772-16:2011 – Methods of test for masonry units – Part 16: Determination of dimensions
• EN 772-19:2000 – Methods of test for masonry units – Part 19: Determination of moisture
expansion of large horizontally perforated clay masonry units
• EN 772-20:2000/A1:2005– Methods of test for masonry units – Part 20: Determination of
flatness of face of aggregate concrete, manufactured stone and natural stone masonry units
absorption of clay and calcium silicate masonry units by cold water absorption
• EN 1052-3:2002/A1:2007 - Methods of test for masonry – Part 3: Determination of initial shear
strength
• EN 1745:2012 – Masonry and masonry products – Methods for determining thermal
properties
• EN 13501-1:2007+A1:2009 – Fire classification of construction products and building elements
– Part 1: Classification using data from reaction to fire tests
• ISO 12572:2016 – Hygrothermal performance of building materials and products –
Determination of water vapour transmission properties
• ISO 6707-1: 2017 Buildings and Civil Engineering Works—Vocabulary—Part 1: General Terms
• ISO 14021:2016 Environmental Labels and Declarations—Self-declared Environmental Claims
(Type II Environmental Labeling)
• ISO 14025:2006 Environmental Labels and Declarations—Type III Environmental
Declarations—Principles and Procedures
68
• ISO 14040:2006 - Environmental Management—Life Cycle Assessment—Principles and

Framework
• ISO 14044:2006 - Environmental Management—Life Cycle Assessment—Requirements and
Guidelines
• ISO 14050:2009 - Environmental Management—Vocabulary
• ISO 15686-1:2011 - Buildings and Constructed Assets—Service life planning—Part 1: General
Principles and Framework
• ISO 21930:2007 - Sustainability in Building Construction—Environmental Declaration of
Building Products
• EN 15804 Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product declarations—Core
rules for the product category of construction products
• ISO 15392:2008 - Sustainability in building construction -- General principles
• ISO 21931-1:2010 - Sustainability in building construction -- Framework for methods of
69

The harmonized standard EN 711-1:2011+A1:2015 define at § 8.3.4 that the manufacturer have to
define the acceptance criteria for the raw material, and inspected regularly. In this point should be
integrated the explicit possibility to use C&D Waste materials within the raw material.
All the tests provided by EN 772 series Currently the bricks obtained from C&D
for the mansory units can be applied to waste are re-used as low-performance
the same product with C&D waste aggregates for concrete.
materials.
The use in clay maisonry is not valorized
The harmonized standard EN 771 can be by the declaration of percentage of
used to assign the CE Mark properties to recycled material in CE Marking, neither
clay masonry units. expressely indicated in the starting
material for the maisonry production.
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
By inserting in CE marking properties Despite the simple integration of clay
related to the 7th essential requirement: debris from C&D waste in new clay
Sustanaible use of natural resources, it masonry units, this approach is
would be possible to include in CE infrequent. One of the main issues is the
marking the percentage of recycled inconstant characteristics of masonry
material. Now to prove the recycled debris.
percentage, voluntary certification is
required (EPD and ETV are already
available to demonstrate the
environmental added value of innovative
bricks)
70
8.4. Gypsum
The mineral gypsum (a soft sulphate mineral composed of calcium sulphate dehydrate) has many uses
in today’s society: it is widely used as a soil amendment, in the production of cement, and as an
ingredient in the manufacture of many types of commercial products. Gypsum board (commonly
known as drywall) is the technical product name used by manufacturers for a specific board with a
gypsum core and a paper facing (approximately 90% gypsum and 10% paper facing and backing). One
of the main advantage of gypsum board over plywood, hardboard, and fiberboard is its strong fire
resistance. Gypsum products also provide sound control, economy, versatility, quality, and
convenience.
Since the gypsum makes up approximately 90% of the weight of a piece of drywall, if the gypsum can
be recovered from the drywall, the majority of the material can be recycled. Scrap gypsum drywall is
currently being recycled in several locations. Examples include:
• The manufacture of new drywall
• Use as an ingredient in the production of cement
• Application to soils and crops to improve soil drainage and plant growth
• A major ingredient in the production of fertilizer products
• An additive to composting operations
Despite its successful use in many locations, most drywall is still disposed in landfills. Challenges to
widespread recycling include collection and separation, low landfill disposal fees, and the need for
more education of potential end users of the recycled material.

CEN/TC 241 – Gypsum and gypsum based products is the Technical Body in the gypsum sector whose
task is to prepare European standards for gypsum plasterboard, gypsum plasters, gypsum units,
gypsum based and ancillary products as well as for design and application of the products: definitions,
performance requirements, specifications & test methods.
CEN/TC 241 standards address the Commission's Mandate M/106 "Gypsum products", which is
derived from the Construction Product Regulation and used as the technical basis to support
commercial transactions and to ensure compliance with the Regulation. Since 2013 this mandate
covers also gypsum board partition kits (GBPK) based on gypsum boards for use as non-loadbearing
walls39.
CEN/TC 241 Technical Body is divided into three working groups:
• CEN/TC 241/WG 1 Powders
• CEN/TC 241/WG 3 Board products
• CEN/TC 241/WG 5 Framework and coordination
Many standards have been developed during these years and are currently under development:
between them, EN 520:2004+A1:2009 is the reference standard for gypsum plasterboards. It specifies
the characteristics and performance of gypsum plasterboards intended to be used in building
39
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/mandates/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.detail&id=539#
71
construction works including those intended for secondary manufacturing operations. It includes
boards designed to receive either direct surface decoration or gypsum plaster. This document covers
the following product performance characteristics: reaction to fire, water vapour permeability, flexural
strength (breaking load), impact resistance and thermal resistance. This document covers also
additional technical characteristics that are of importance for the use and acceptance of the product
by the Construction Industry and the reference tests for these characteristics, providing for the
evaluation of conformity of the product to this document. Anyway, this document does not cover
plasterboards which have been subject to any secondary manufacturing operations (e.g. insulating
composite panels, plasterboards with thin lamination, etc.).
Other standards have been developed by CEN/TC 241, many of them before the entry into force of
Construction Product Regulation 305/2011, so they do not contemplate explicit reference to
sustainability aspects.
• EN 520:2004+A1:2009 - Gypsum plasterboards - Definitions, requirements and test methods
• EN 12859:2011 - Gypsum blocks - Definitions, requirements and test methods
• EN 12860:2001 - Gypsum based adhesives for gypsum blocks - Definitions, requirements and
test methods
• EN 13279-1:2008 - Fibrous gypsum plaster casts - Definitions, requirements and test methods
• EN 13815:2006 - Prefabricated gypsum plasterboard panels with a cellular paperboard core -
Definitions, requirements and test methods
• EN 13915:2007 - Gypsum board thermal/acoustic insulation composite panels - Definitions,
requirements and test methods
• EN 13950:2014 - Jointing materials for gypsum plasterboards - Definitions, requirements and
test methods
• EN 13963:2005 - Gypsum board products from reprocessing - Definitions, requirements and
test methods
• EN 13963:2005/AC:2006 - Metal framing components for gypsum plasterboard systems -
• EN 14190:2014 - Gypsum elements for suspended ceilings - Definitions, requirements and test
methods
• EN 14195:2005 - Metal framing components for gypsum plasterboard systems - Definitions,
methods
• EN 14353:2007 - Metal beads and feature profiles for use with gypsum plasterboards -
• EN 14496:2005 - Gypsum based adhesives for thermal/acoustic insulation composite panels
and plasterboards - Definitions, requirements and test methods
• EN 14566:2008+A1:2009 - Mechanical fasteners for gypsum plasterboard systems -
• EN 15283-1:2008+A1:2009 - Gypsum boards with fibrous reinforcement - Definitions,
requirements and test methods - Part 1: Gypsum boards with mat reinforcement
72

requirements and test methods - Part 2: Gypsum fibre boards
In order to fulfil the aim of integration of CDW in the standardization activity, CEN/TC 241 constantly
interacts with the following TCs, already done by:
• CEN/TC 292 "Characterization of waste"
• CEN/TC 350 "Sustainability of construction works" and TC's dealing with building components
where gypsum products are used
• CEN/TC 277 "Suspending ceilings".
As the products travel mostly within Europe but not very much outside, the international
standardization activity is weak. The ISO/TC 152 "Gypsum, gypsum plaster and gypsum products" has
been disbanded in 2009. It is foreseen that the products could be qualified on the basis of European
standards where there is no national standards outside Europe (for example in developing world).

Nowadays, no Ecolabel criteria exist for Gypsum product group, while for example Nordic Swan
Ecolabel for Wall Panels encompasses gypsum-based panels. Type II labels might be applicable to
innovative recycled products even if they are not so common in construction industry as they are self-
declared. As regards Type III Environmental Labels, the European Standard EN 15804:2012+A1:2013
provides core product category rules (PCR) for Type III environmental declarations for any construction
product and construction service for all construction products and services. It provides a structure to
ensure that all EPD of construction products, construction services and construction processes are
derived, verified and presented in a harmonized way.
PCR 2012:01 - Construction products and construction services aim to be the main way to develop and
register EPDs in the International EPD System. In addition, this document may also be the basis for
development of "sub-PCRs" for more specific product categories, but gypsum is not included in this
sub-PCRs. So, to develop an EPD for gypsum material is necessary to refer to the document PCR
2012:01 construction products and construction services (EN 15804).
Complementary Product Category Rules for Gypsum-based Construction Products (prEN 17328) is
under approval and should be published in 2019. It will provide the complementary product category
rules (c-PCR) for Type III environmental declarations for gypsum-based products for the construction
industry. In addition to the common parts of EN 15804, this European Standard for gypsum-based
products will: - specify the functional and/or declared unit to be used; - define the default system
boundaries for gypsum-based construction products; - define allocation procedures for the
environmental impact of recycling and/or the use of by-products; - describe the default scenarios and
rules for defining scenarios for each of the life cycle information modules A-D; - provide guidance for
the determination of the reference service life (RSL) for gypsum-based construction products.
73

As from the EOTA website, n. 6 ETAs with EADs seem to be available for innovative gypsum products,
but none of them is similar to the one developed within HISER project, so this could imply the request
of a new ETA40.
As from the ETV website, no ETV seem to be available for innovative gypsum41. This could be an
interesting opportunity especially for the verification of an innovative processes with declared
environmental benefits, giving wide visibility to products such as the ones developed within HISER
project.

essential for a good comprehension of the “Gypsum” issue and therefore of the present document.
Some of them are not used but are nevertheless cited for completeness as they are cross referenced
to the main standards. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
• EN 520:2004+A1:2009 - Gypsum plasterboards - Definitions, requirements and test methods
• EN 12859:2011 - Gypsum blocks - Definitions, requirements and test methods
• EN 12860:2001 - Gypsum based adhesives for gypsum blocks - Definitions, requirements and
test methods
• EN 13279-1:2008 - Fibrous gypsum plaster casts - Definitions, requirements and test methods
• EN 13815:2006 - Prefabricated gypsum plasterboard panels with a cellular paperboard core -
• EN 13915:2007 - Gypsum board thermal/acoustic insulation composite panels - Definitions,
• EN 13950:2014 - Jointing materials for gypsum plasterboards - Definitions, requirements and
test methods
40
41
74
• EN 13963:2005 - Gypsum board products from reprocessing - Definitions, requirements and

test methods
• EN 13963:2005/AC:2006 - Metal framing components for gypsum plasterboard systems -
methods
• EN 14195:2005 - Metal framing components for gypsum plasterboard systems - Definitions,
methods
• EN 14353:2007 - Metal beads and feature profiles for use with gypsum plasterboards -
• EN 14496:2005 - Gypsum based adhesives for thermal/acoustic insulation composite panels
and plasterboards - Definitions, requirements and test methods
• EN 14566:2008+A1:2009 - Mechanical fasteners for gypsum plasterboard systems -
requirements and test methods - Part 1: Gypsum boards with mat reinforcement
requirements and test methods - Part 2: Gypsum fibre boards
• ISO 6873:2013 Dentistry - Gypsum products
• ISO 7711-2:2011 Dentistry -- Rotary diamond instruments -- Part 2: Discs
• ISO/TR 834-2:2009 Fire-resistance tests -- Elements of building construction -- Part 2: Guidance
on measuring uniformity of furnace exposure on test samples
• ISO 14966:2002 Ambient air -- Determination of numerical concentration of inorganic fibrous
particles -- Scanning electron microscopy method
• ISO 18217:2015 Safety of woodworking machines -- Edge-banding machines fed by chain(s)
• ISO/TS 81346-10:2015 Industrial systems, installations and equipment and industrial products
-- Structuring principles and reference designation -- Part 10: Power plants
• ISO 15912:2016 Dentistry -- Refractory investment and die material
• ISO 19085-8:2017 Woodworking machines -- Safety -- Part 8: Belt sanding and calibrating
machines for straight workpieces
• ISO 19085-2:2017 Woodworking machines -- Safety -- Part 2: Horizontal beam panel circular
sawing machines
• ISO 19085-4:2018 Woodworking machines -- Safety -- Part 4: Vertical panel circular sawing
machines
75
The harmonized standard EN 520 can be Currently the declaration of rycled
used to assign the CE Mark properties to portion can be drafted only with a
gypsum plasterboard, also if contain C&D environmental certification (EN ISO
waste materials. 14021) with additional costs.
THREATS
OPPORTUNITIES
From HISER Deliverable 3.9 emerged that
During 2019 will be published EN 17328
some problem in treating of C&D waste
that will provide the pompelmentary
have occured due to impurity and other
rules (c-PCR) for Type III environmental
material mixed with gypsum. That can
declarations for gypsum based product.
increase the production costs for gypsum
contained C&D waste.
76
8.5. Composites (WPCs – wood polymer composites) Technical Standards

Natural fibre-reinforced composite (NFC) or wood-plastics composite (WPC) is made from one or more
natural fibres or flours and a polymer or mixture of polymers. Natural fibres and flours come from
different vegetable sources, while any kinds of polymers, virgin or recycled, can be used (currently the
most common ones are polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and polyethylene). WPC materials can be
considered neither as filled plastics nor as a special kind of wood material, but as different materials
having their own characteristics.
At present, the main application of WPC products is deck boards. Recently, industrial interests have
focused on NFC as a composite material partially derived from biomass.
However, as NFC’s main constituents are hydrophilic natural fibres and hydrophobic polymer(s),
problems such as cracking, bending, and strength reduction may occur in case of long-term use due to
their different characteristics in the use environment related to e.g. moisture, UV resistance and
thermal changes. However, due to the lack of standardized testing methods to evaluate the
performance and durability of NFC, it is difficult to give the orientation for the product development
and to protect the consumers’ interest. Consequently, International Standards are being established
in order to encourage technology development in the NFC production field and to protect consumers
from NFC products of low quality.

As all new materials, the WPC also had problems of quality and standardization. In mid-2003, a group
was founded in Europe for this Christmas, among the founders were Belgians and British to create a
working group within the Technical Committee for Standardization Comite Europeen de Normalisation
CEN/TC 249 "Plastics" (Grymonprez, 2007). WPCs are now managed by CEN TC 249 WG 13.
It soon became clear that WPC Standardization could not be done from a plastic perspective alone.
Therefore CEN/TC 112 "Wood-based panels" was invited to participate. Instead of opting for a
European EN Standardization procedure that has to take into account many European and national
standards, it was decided to opt for a CEN/TS technical specification.
The following are all the standards approved to this day:
• CEN/TS 17158:2018 - Composites made from cellulose based materials and thermoplastics
(usually called wood polymer composites (WPC) or natural fibre composites (NFC)) -
Determination of particle size of lignocellosic material
• EN 15534-1:2014+A1:2017 - Composites made from cellulose-based materials and
thermoplastics (usually called wood-polymer composites (WPC) or natural fibre composites
(NFC)) - Part 1: Test methods for characterisation of compounds and products
• EN 15534-4:2014 Composites made from cellulose-based materials and thermoplastics
(usually called wood-polymer composites (WPC) or natural fibre composites (NFC)) - Part 4:
Specifications for decking profiles and tiles
• EN 15534-5:2014 Composites made from cellulose-based materials and thermoplastics
(usually called wood-polymer composites (WPC) or natural fibre composites (NFC)) - Part 5:
Specifications for cladding profiles and tiles
77
• EN 15534-6:2015+A1:2017 - Composites made from cellulose-based materials and

thermoplastics (usually called wood-polymer composites (WPC) or natural fibre composites
(NFC)) - Part 6: Specifications for fencing profiles and elements
It is also reported that 15534-5 is currently under revision, with prEN 15534-5 (Composites made from
cellulose-based materials and thermoplastics (usually called wood-polymer composites (WPC) or
natural fibre composites (NFC)) - Part 5: Specifications for cladding profiles and tiles).
This standard specifies the characteristics of cladding profiles and tiles made from cellulose and
thermoplastic materials, usually called wood-polymer (WPC) or natural fibre (NFC) composites, for
outdoor use. This document is applicable to extruded profiles but also to tiles produced with other
plastic processing techniques, such as injection moulding. It is not applicable to rail support profiles,
cover profiles and fasteners. This document also specifies the assessment methods, provisions for
assessment and verification of constancy of performance (AVCP) of these products and includes
requirements for CE marking.
The quality label is intended for cladding profiles according to CEN/TS 15534-1-3). According to the
quality label, the fibre base of the WPC must be 100% certified wood (FSC or PEFC certified) and the
polymers must be 100% virgin material or materials from industrial processes processed only once (to
be demonstrated to the Qualitatsgemeinschaft Holzwerkstoffe eV). WPC waste material can be
recycled in the same process.
There are seven physical properties: flexural behaviour at room temperature, flexural behaviour after
exposure to high temperatures, flexural behaviour after changing cold water storage conditions,
freezing and drying, swelling in cold water, swelling in boiling water, slip resistance and thermal
expansion. Companies applying for the quality label will be subject to an initial audit by the
Qualitiftsgemeinschaft Holzwerkstoffe eV and subsequently, on an annual basis, by third-party audit
firms. Each flooring profile that can bear the quality mark must have a technical data sheet clearly
stating the manufacturer, the product name, the type of polymer and the wood content. With the
publication of CENTS 15534-1-3 and the quality label "Qualitatszeichen Holzwerkstoffe".

Nowadays, no Ecolabel criteria seem to exist for WPC product group, but there is a category for
Coverings/Wood-, cork- and bamboo-based floor coverings which at now do not include any WPC
flooring. Type II labels might be applicable to innovative recycled products even if they are not so
common in construction industry as they are self-declared. As regards Type III Environmental Labels,
the European Standard EN 15804:2012+A1:2013 provides core product category rules (PCR) for Type
III environmental declarations for any construction product and construction service for all
construction products and services. It provides a structure to ensure that all EPD of construction
products, construction services and construction processes are derived, verified and presented in a
harmonized way.
PCR 2012:01 - Construction products and construction services aims to be the main way to develop
and register EPDs in the International EPD System. In addition, this document may also be the basis for
development of "sub-PCRs" for more specific product categories, but WPC is not included in this sub-
78
PCRs. So, to develop an EPD for gypsum material is necessary to refer to the document PCR 2012:01
construction products and construction services (EN 15804).
The VHI association made an EPD label that does not refer to a specific product, but declares the
average environmental quality for all WPC decking profiles produced by member companies of the
VHI.

As from the EOTA website, no ETAs42 are available for innovative Wood Plastic Composite, the same
from the ETV website43, where no ETV seem to be available for innovative Wood Plastic Composite.
This could be an interesting opportunity especially for the verification of an innovative processes with
declared environmental benefits, giving wide visibility to products such as the ones developed within
HISER project.

essential for a good comprehension of the “WPC” issue and therefore of the present document. Some
of them are not used but are nevertheless cited for completeness as they are cross referenced to the
main standards. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest
edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
• ISO 16616:2015 Test methods for natural fibre-reinforced plastic composite (NFC) deck boards
• ISO 20326: 2016 Resilient floor coverings — Specification for floor panels/assembly for loose
laying
• ISO 178, Plastics — Determination of flexural properties
• ISO 179-1, Plastics — Determination of Charpy impact properties — Part 1: Non-instrumented
impact test
• ISO 291, Plastics — Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing
42
43
79
• ISO 868, Plastics and ebonite — Determination of indentation hardness by means of a

durometer (Shore hardness)
• ISO 899-2, Plastics — Determination of creep behaviour — Part 2: Flexural creep by three-
point loading
• ISO 1183-1, Plastics — Methods for determining the density of non-cellular plastics — Part 1:
Immersion method, liquid pyknometer method and titration method
• ISO 1478, Tapping screws thread
• ISO 4892-2, Plastics — Methods of exposure to laboratory light sources — Part 2: Xenon-arc
lamps
• ISO 9239-1, Reaction to fire tests for floorings — Part 1: Determination of the burning
behaviour using a radiant heat source
• ISO 11359-2, Plastics — Thermomechanical analysis (TMA) — Part 2: Determination of
coefficient of linear thermal expansion and glass transition temperature
• ISO 11664-1, Colorimetry — Part 1: CIE standard colorimetric observers
• ISO 11664-2, Colorimetry — Part 2: CIE standard illuminants
• ISO 11664-4, Colorimetry — Part 4: CIE 1976 L*a*b* Colour space
• ISO 12460-4, Wood-based panels-Determination of formaldehyde release
• EN 15534-1, Composites made from cellulose-based materials and thermoplastics (usually
called wood polymer composites (WPC) or natural fibre composites (NFC)) — Part 1: Test
methods for characterization of compounds and products
• ISO 18314-1, Analytical colorimetry — Part 1: Practical colour measurement (in preparation)
80
Standard for testing procedures (EN TS Currently are not available Harmonized
17158:2018) and secifications (EN 15534 Standards for WPC.
series) are recently developed.
Currently there is a lack in the EU
A quality label for WPC cladding profiles legislation for this type of building
is developed according EN TS 15534 material.
(Quality label Qualitatszeichen
Holzwerkstoffe) For these reasons, the commercialization
of the product is slow, in order to
VHI association made an EPD label that overcome these problems, it is
does not refer to a specific product, but necessary, as for other building
declares the average environmental materials, to have a CE Marking.
quality for all WPC decking profiles.
THREATS
OPPORTUNITIES
The lack in standard and certification
Future harmonized standard developed
(compensated only by initiatives by
for WPC can include, in CE marking
producer associations) can delay the
property, also the 7th essential
WPC spreading in the EU market.
requirement: Sustanaible use of natural
resources, so include in CE marking the
percentage of recylced material and
wood origin.
81
9. Workshop as exploitable result of the strategy and measures proposed to

During the whole length of HISER project, CEN activities have been followed through the main EU
websites, also considering stakeholders consultations.
RINA as partner of HISER gave its contribution to BRIDGIT2 project (co-financed by CEN-CENELEC along
with EU/EFTA) which aims to “bridge the gap between the Research, Innovation and Standardization
Communities” involving a number of FP7 and H2020 projects for a deeper insight of standardization
uptake in research and innovation projects.
Furthermore, on Friday 16th November 2018 a workshop on "Standardization and Certification of

innovative Construction products involving recycled materials from CDW” has been performed
together with AENOR and other stakeholders in Brussels in the context of the EU Raw Materials
Week44.
The 2 hrs-workshop built on the key findings and outcomes from project HISER about Certification and
Standardization issues related to new products involving secondary CDW-recovered raw materials.
The workshop offered to the EU organisations, the manufacturers and any other Stakeholders
(including researchers and other Horizon consortiums and partners) the opportunity to discuss the
state of the art and existing gaps for unmet needs in Standardization and Certification for innovative
products, concurring to boost the market uptake of new solutions and products.
After a short presentation of HISER project by the coordinator Mr. David Garcia Estevez (Tecnalia), Ms.
Elena Balossino from RINA Services (Italian Third party Certification body) explained why
Standardization and Certification can play a significant role in the market uptake of innovative
products, highlighting actual barriers and existing tools (most of them coming from EU Commission,
such as the ETV or the ETA process) which can be already used but also improved for a better inclusion
of innovative construction products.
Ms. Raquel Martinez from AENOR/UNE (Spanish Standardization Body) identified the CWA (CEN
Workshop Agreement) as a possible flexible, rapid process to address the standardization of innovative
construction materials, consisting in a consensual document developed in a CEN Workshop open to
any company or organization inside/outside Europe, which can form the basis for future European or
international standard.
Mr. Francesco Arnesano from RINA Services focused on the main possibilities for the products
developed within HISER project (Concrete, WPC, Cement, Gypsum and Bricks) to get a recognised
certification or marking under existing standards, also highlighting existing barriers for each product
and suggesting possible strategies for future initiatives.
Finally, Mr. James from UEPG (European Aggregates Association) critically analized statistics and
numbers on the use of recycled aggregates in construction, underlining how this market can be
affected by a change in technical standards and also by a change of mind in the construction industry,
44
http://eurawmaterialsweek.eu/events.html
82
starting from optimal construction design to monitoring&statistics of recycled aggregates and their
origin, to education of the customers and end-users.
The final round table was a very good opportunity to get any feedback and proposals from the
participants representing both industry, research and institutions, all agreeing that Standardization
activities should increasingly contemplate the shift to circular economy including more and more
innovative recycled products and setting environmental criteria for both traditional and innovative
products.
Figure 27 – Agenda of the workshop
Figure 28 – Pictures of the workshop
83
Figure 29 – HISER webpage
The workshop was a first step to underline the lack in Standardization and to overcome the existing
barriers to the market uptake of innovative products from CDW. Possible further steps could be the
implementation of the measures and strategies proposed within HISER Project.
As suggested by Ms. Raquel Martinez from AENOR/UNE, a CEN Workshop Agreement could be a good
opportunity to introduce new needs and proposals into Standardization, including new areas of
standardization when related Technical Committee do not exist. CEN Workshops are particularly
relevant in emerging or rapidly-changing technologies that require quickly-developed specifications or
results of research projects. A CEN Workshop Agreement is a document developed and approved in a
CEN Workshop in which everyone interested in the development of the agreement can participate (the
participants can also be from extra-European countries), whose development is rapid and flexible, on
average 10-12 months. A CWA does not have the status of a European Standard nor involves any
obligation at national level but can form the basis for future European or international standards. It is
therefore strongly encouraged from CEN to promote or to be part of these Workshops in order to bring
new needs and proposals to the attention of the Standardizers.
10.Conclusions
This research revealed the need for a strong strategy to promote the safety of CDW-derived materials,
in order to stimulate consumer/user confidence, which would lead to greater promotion and use of
these materials. The main driver for creating the link between research and the market are standards
and policies that respond to the needs and demands of industry and society, including legislation and
the adoption of Member States of harmonised standards at European level. The opening up of
transnational research infrastructures could help to mobilize the research community and to support
innovation, competitiveness and Standardization in the construction sector.
84
Many opportunities have been explored in this research, varying from standardization to certification
and declarations. It is clear that many opportunities already exist in the European market and can
support the market uptake of innovative products with environmental added value, but:
• there are still gaps in standardization of innovative products from CDW;

• sometimes it appears difficult both for the consumers and for the manufacturers to
understand different symbols, marks and tools;
• many of these tools are still in pilot phase or under development, or have issues to be
considered when applying for them (for example, the visibility of the product on the market
and the related economic return, time and cost to get a certification, etc).
It is clear that Standards are a key element for the completion of the Single Market in the EU, and
should not create barriers to trade for innovative products. So, at the Standardization level, it is
necessary an increase of harmonisation and development of standards, including the simplification
and integration of the latest developments starting from existing technologies, new procedures and
the development of safety standards taking into account sustainability and energy efficiency aspects.
A formal reference to sustainability is already included in Construction Product Regulation, when Basic
Works Requirement (BWR) nr. 7 represents a first step from which further progress can be made in
the future. The inclusion of this requirement in the harmonised standards should allow Member States
to regulate for the use of sustainable products and for a sustainability characteristic to be included in
the DoP and the CE marking. For example, inserting in CE marking properties the percentage of
recycled material could help CDW products to reach a wider market (all other essential requirement
being satisfied). However, for this to happen the Member States will need a method for assessing the
product’s performance, which has not yet been developed at EU level. There are many instruments at
EU levelwhich include the sustainable use of natural resources, but the legislator has not yet drafted
any compulsory information or indicator for this requirement to be declared. Possible information for
this requirement could derive from Environmental Product Declarations (as suggested by the CPR) in
form of indicators (for example referring to one or more of the 22 environmental standardized
indicators provided by EN 15804 such as the “Use of secondary material”).
ETAs have been analyzed as an important alternative for CE marking innovative products, but the time
necessary to undertake this Assessment and affix the CE marking can be too long in a continuously
changing market. Furthermore, the process to get an ETA should be simplified for SMEs and for
products not fully covered by harmonised standards (for example developing a short track for
supplementary EADs covering the essential features not addressed by incomplete harmonised
standards).
ETV is a possible solution for certifying innovative products with environmental added value, but it is
still not spread in the market (only 29 technologies certified to date) and it does not ensure the safety
of the product for construction use, as it happens for the environmental labels and declarations.
Anyway, EPD can reflect the continuous environmental improvement of products and services over
time and are able to communicate and add up relevant environmental information along a product's
85
supply chain. If this would be included in standards as envisaged by the CPR, this will offer a great
opportunity for innovative products from CDW.
The use and diffusion of Environmental labels is to be addressed mainly through policies such as the
Green Public Procurement (GPP) or voluntary rating systems for green buildings. For example, the
inclusion of Level(s) criteria on sustainable use of resources within new certification schemes will
ensure these schemes are aligned with common EU policy objectives. Learnings from the testing phase
of Level(s) could be also used to updating certification tools and to align them to Level(s) indicators,
and also to European building sector policies.
All the opportunities presented in this research need to be conveyed and further improved in a circular
economy perspective as they could transform markets towards sustainability, asking to industries but
also to customers to go beyond standard practices and to generate demand for "best practice”.
86
References
UE Protocol for the management of C&D Waste. September 2016
Construction Product Regulation 305/2011
Construction Product Regulation 305/2011
GEN, the Global Ecolabelling Network. (www.nordic-ecolabel.org/)
The European Engineering Industries Association, A Practical Guide to Understanding the Specific
Requirements of CPR (2015)
Regulation (EC) no. 66/2010
ISO 14021:2016
ISO 14040: 2006 standard "Environmental Management, Life Cycle Assessment, principles and
framework"
Quality Assessment of Mixed and Ceramic Recycled Aggregates from Construction and Demolition
Wastes in the Concrete Manufacture According to the Spanish Standard. [Available from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274656662_Quality_Assessment_of_Mixed_and_Cera
mic_Recycled_Aggregates_from_Construction_and_Demolition_Wastes_in_the_Concrete_Manuf
acture_According_to_the_Spanish_Standard [accessed Jan 03 2019]
European Ready-Mixed Concrete Organization, “ERMCO Guide to EN206:2013”, 9 January 2014.

Available at https://webapi.ingenio-web.it/immagini/file/byname?name=ermco-guide-to-en206-
2013-8_1_2014-final-amd1-1.pdf
“Clean Energy for all Europeans”, July 2016, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52016DC0860
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52015PC0595
https://www.cenelec.eu/aboutcenelec/whatwestandfor/supportlegislation/newapproachdirectiv
es.html
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/construction/product-regulation/review_en
http://www.ym.fi/en-
US/Land_use_and_building/Steering_of_construction/Construction_product_approval/National_
procedures_for_product_approval
87
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/sites/ecoap_stayconnected/files/pdfs/eu-etv-gvp-1-3-
web-version.pdf
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/etv/verified-technologies_en
http://ec.europa.eu/ecat/
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/criteria-development-and-revision.html
http://www.blauer-engel.de/en
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/smgp/pdf/PEFCR_guidance_v6.3.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/smgp/ef_pilots.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/smgp/pdf/2018_pilotphase_commreport.pdf
https://standards.cen.eu/dyn/www/f?p=204:7:0::::FSP_ORG_ID:6107&cs=1A4B44FBD70153D73C
E683CCEEEECB7E8
https://standards.cen.eu/dyn/www/f?p=204:110:0::::FSP_PROJECT,FSP_LANG_ID:67267,25&cs=1
8985E05C4B780D56DFC6AD78CA5F511D
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-
databases/mandates/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.detail&id=539#
https://standards.cen.eu/dyn/www/f?p=204:22:0::::FSP_ORG_ID,FSP_LANG_ID:6107,25&cs=1E0E
44510B418D67F81ED81F57C592489
http://eurawmaterialsweek.eu/events.html
88

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Holistic Innovative Solutions for an

Efficient Recycling and Recovery of Valuable Raw Materials

from Complex Construction and Demolition Waste

D 6.2 Report on Strategy and proposal for measures to

Published in the framework of:

HISER website: www.hiserproject.eu

Revision and history chart

VERSION DATE EDITORS COMMENT

Table of content ............................................................................................................... 3

List of tables ..................................................................................................................... 6

List of figures .................................................................................................................... 6

2. European Union Directives, Regulations and Standards concerning materials from

3. Construction Products Regulation n. 305/2011 (CPR) ................................................ 12

4. Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) ........................................................... 20

5. Environmental Labels and Declarations according to ISO 14020 Series ...................... 22

6. Product Environmental Footprint ............................................................................. 35

7. Green building certification schemes promoting resource efficiency ......................... 37

8.1.5. Gap Analysis and possible improvement ...................................................................... 49

9. Workshop as exploitable result of the strategy and measures proposed to

10. Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 84

B2B - Business to business

B2C - Business to customers

CDW – Construction and Demolition Waste

CEN - European Committee for Standardization

CENELEC - European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization

CPD - Construction Products Directive (EU) No 89/106/EEC

CPR - Construction Products Regulations Construction Products Regulation (EU) No 305/2011

DoP – Declaration of Performance

EPD – Environmental Product Declaration

ETSI - European Telecommunications Standards Institute

hEN – Harmonised European standard

ISO – International Organization for Standardization

NSB – National Standard Body

PCR – Product Category Rules

SVHC - Substances of very high concern (relates to REACH)

Table 1: Main differences between the types of environmental labelling. .......................................... 24

Figure 1 – Certification conceptual workflow ....................................................................................... 11

Figure 22 – Extract from EN 12620:2002+A1:2008 Table 20 “Categories for constituents of coarse

• Cements and aggregates

RINA’s goal, at this stage of the HISER project, is to:

• Collect the standards and certifications on the market

2. European Union Directives, Regulations and Standards concerning

The most important issues related to HISER objectives deal with:

- Construction materials issues, concerning both technical/performance issues and health,

These issues are both already considered under EU Directives:

- Construction materials issues are mainly covered by Construction Products Regulation n.

standards, or alternatively by a European Technical Assessment (ETA) providing information on its

Figure 1 – Certification conceptual workflow

- Product Environmental Footprint (as foreseen by Commission Recommendation of 9 April

3. Construction Products Regulation n. 305/2011 (CPR)

Figure 2 – Circular economy chart

3.1. European Harmonized Standards

Figure 3 – Example of Annex ZA

3.2. European Technical Assessment (ETA)

• a general description of the construction product;

Figure 5 – CE marking flowchart

Figure 6 – Systems of AVCP and levels of involvement of notified bodies 10

• the identification code of the product-type

Figure 7 – Example of Declaration of Performance

4. Environmental Technology Verification (ETV)

Figure 8 – ETV Protocol Structure

• Assessment and verification phase