This project is funded by The

European Union

Low embodied energy

building materials in India
R&I report on initiatives to support India’s construction
industry
Table of Contents
List of figures and tables ......................................................................................................................................4
1. Background ......................................................................................................................................................5
What is embodied energy of buildings? .....................................................................................................5
1.1 Importance of embodied energy in the context of growing building sector .............................................6
2. Building materials in India ................................................................................................................................8
Conventional building materials in India ....................................................................................................8
Initiatives in India ...................................................................................................................................10
2.2.1. Study on fostering resource efficiency in the Indian building and construction Sector .....................10
2.2.2. Strategy on resource efficiency in construction and demolition sector ...........................................11
2.2.3. India construction materials database of embodied energy and global warming potential ..............11
2.2.4. Decision support toolkit................................................................................................................12
2.2.5. Estimate of embodied energy for low carbon building construction ...............................................12
2.2.6. GreenPro certified products, materials and technologies directory ................................................12
2.2.7. Energy efficient building materials directory ..................................................................................13
Observations on current initiatives .........................................................................................................13
Barriers and challenges ..........................................................................................................................13
3. EU and EU Member States practices and initiatives .........................................................................................14
EU programmes supporting R&I .............................................................................................................14
Horizon 2020 ..............................................................................................................................14
EU Innovation Platform in India ..................................................................................................14
EURAXESS India .........................................................................................................................14
1.2 Buildings as Material Banks (BAMB) .....................................................................................................14
1.3 Cradle-to-Cradle Certification ...............................................................................................................16
1.4 Technological research and advancements .....................................................................................16
1.5 Level(s) - The European framework for sustainable buildings ................................................................17
1.6 Link with Mission Innovation ..........................................................................................................17
4. Focusing on a few areas of possible EU-India collaboration ............................................................................18
Context .................................................................................................................................................18
EU’s approach on Material Passport and Building Passport .....................................................................18
4.2.1. EU’s Material Passport ..................................................................................................................18
4.2.2. EU’s Building Passport ..................................................................................................................19
4.2.3. Estimate of embodied energy for low carbon building construction...............................................21
4.2.4. Relevant elements from the EU’s approach for the Building Passport developed under the BEE’s
Residential Building Energy Labeling Program ........................................................................................22
Reversible Building Design .....................................................................................................................22
Data validation under the EU’s Cradle-to-Cradle Certification ..................................................................24
EU procurement strategy for green construction materials ....................................................................24
4.5.1. Verification of compliance with the EU GPP criteria .......................................................................25
2
 4.5.2. Relevant elements from EU’s GPP for the Central Public Works Department (CPWD)’s Schedule of Rates
(SOR) and Specifications .......................................................................................................................26
5. Possible R&I interventions ..............................................................................................................................27
Technological R&I instruments ...............................................................................................................27
Market level R&I instruments .................................................................................................................27
Policy level R&I instruments ...................................................................................................................27
Annexure 1: Parameters considered in developing Materials Passport under BAMB .............................................28
Annexure 2: Case studies of EU procurement strategy for green construction materials ......................................29

3
List of figures and tables
Figure 1: Embodied energy in building life cycle (Source: Green Building Advisor) ............................................................. 5
Figure 2: Embodied vs. Operational energy for a typical and a high-performance building (Source: West Coast Climate
Forum) ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Figure 3: Total carbon emissions of global new construction–BAU buildings (Source: US EIA) ......................................... 6
Figure 4: Carbon emissions of new construction–Typical for a High performance building (Source: Carbon Leadership
Forum) ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 7: Embodied energy of different construction assemblies (Source: EDGE Embodied Energy Database) ..............10
Figure 8: Snapshot of EDGE App ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Figure 9: Snapshot of the Sustainability Assessment Tool developed as part of the DST .................................................. 12
Figure 10: GreenPro certification label awarded by CII ......................................................................................................... 12
Figure 11: Illustration of the Materials Passport .................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 12: Illustration of C2C certification ..............................................................................................................................16
Figure 11: Properties included in Material Passport ..............................................................................................................18
Figure 12: Screenshot of MPP .................................................................................................................................................19
Figure 13: Material Passport creation process .......................................................................................................................19
Figure 14: Attributes of Building Passport ............................................................................................................................ 20
Figure 15: Screenshot of BMP ................................................................................................................................................ 20
Figure 16: Building Passport creation process ...................................................................................................................... 20
Figure 17: A snapshot of Building Materials Directory .......................................................................................................... 21
Figure 18 Key Steps in Cradle-to-Cradle Certification ........................................................................................................... 24

Table 1: Embodied energy and Thermal conductivity of different insulation materials ....................................................... 9
Table 1: Case Studies on Reversible Building Design .............................................................................................................22
Table 2 Procurement Criteria for Circular Construction Materials ...................................................................................... 24

4
1. Background
What is embodied energy of buildings?
Embodied energy is the energy consumed by all the processes
comprising the production of a building, from the extraction and
processing of natural resources to manufacturing, transport and
product delivery (Figure 1). Embodied energy is the ‘upstream’ or
‘front-end’ component of the life cycle impact of a home. Buildings
are a combination of numerous processed materials, which
contributes to the building’s total embodied energy. Selection of
materials can significantly alter the amount of energy embodied in
the structure of a building.1

The embodied energy of a building is different from its operational

energy. The latter comprises of the energy consumed during the
building’s operation during its serviceable lifetime. It could be
reduced throughout its lifetime through various energy efficiency
interventions. The same is not true for embodied energy as it is
almost impossible to reduce it once the building is constructed.2 It
gets accumulated in the building’s structure during its
construction and gets accounted for, the moment the building is Figure 1: Embodied energy in building life
constructed. cycle (Source: Green Building Advisor)

Embodied energy has become an important metric

for evaluating the sustainability of buildings,
considering the advancements towards reducing
the operational energy. (Figure 2) It represents
between 10% and 25% of the total lifetime energy
consumption of a typical building. However, for
low-energy buildings this figure can be as high as
50%.3 The share of embodied energy in low energy
buildings could reach up to 57% or even up to 83%
when renewable energy sources are used for
electricity production. In Net Zero Energy buildings,
embodied energy could represent up to 100% of the
life-cycle operational energy, though a significant
reduction in the total life cycle energy is identified.4 Figure 2: Embodied vs. Operational energy for a typical
This is important because it means that the impact and a high-performance building (Source: West Coast
of building materials is becoming much more Climate Forum)
important as more energy-efficient buildings are
being designed and built.

Energy efficient buildings are key to reducing the global Green-house gas (GHG) emissions, however, the energy, water,
and related carbon savings achieved once a new building is occupied can take a long time to overcome the embodied
carbon that was emitted during its construction. 5 Research suggests that new buildings can take anywhere between
10—80 years to pay back the emissions generated from the construction process, even if the new buildings are 30
percent more efficient than conventional buildings. 6

1
https://www.yourhome.gov.au/materials/embodied-energy#:~:text=Embodied%20energy%20is%20the%20energy,manufacturing%2C%20transport%20and%20product%20delivery
2
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.07.026
3
https://www.pmcarchitects.com/sustainability-information-blog-content/embodied-energy-of-materials
4
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878029617301275?via%3Dihub
5
https://www.imt.org/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go-the-embodied-carbon-of-new-and-existing-buildings/
6
https://living-future.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/The_Greenest_Building.pdf
5
1.1 Importance of embodied energy in the context of growing building
sector
Recent reports suggest an increase in urbanization globally from ~50% in 2018 to ~68% by 2060. To accommodate this
increase in the urban population, the global footprint is expected to increase by almost 85% (483 billion m2) in 2060,
compared to 2020 (260 billion m2).7 Although there has been improvement in the building sector energy efficiency, as
well as growth in renewable energy generating capacity, these have not been enough to offset the increase in emissions
from new construction. As a result, building sector CO2 emissions have continued to rise by nearly 1% per year since
2010.8 If the typical construction practices are to continue, the embodied carbon is estimated to be responsible for
almost 50% of the emissions from new construction between 2020 and 2050 (Figure 3). 9 For the same time period, its
share is estimated to be even higher (60%) for high performance building (Figure 4). 10 The building construction sector
accounted for 36% of total primary energy use and 39% of energy and process-related CO2 emissions in 2018, 11% of which
resulted from manufacturing building materials and products such as steel, cement and glass. 11

50
50%
40
40%
tCO2eq/year
30
30%
49% 51% 20
20%
10
10%
0
2015 2025 2035 2045 2055 2065 2075 2085 2095 2105 2115
0%
Operational carbon Embodied carbon
Embodied carbon Operational carbon

Figure 3: Total carbon emissions of global new Figure 4: Carbon emissions of new construction–
construction–BAU buildings (Source: US EIA) Typical for a High performance building (Source:
Carbon Leadership Forum)
Pre-COVID estimates on India’s building sector indicate that the residential building stock is projected to increase from
272 million households (over 15 billion m2) in 2017-2018 to 386 million (over 28 billion m2) by 2037-2038. Similarly, the
commercial building sector is projected to increase from 1.2 billion m 2 in 2017-2018 to 3.1 billion m2 in 2037-38.12 To
improve the operational energy efficiency of the upcoming buildings stock, India has introduced Energy Conservation
Building Code 2017 for commercial buildings and its counterpart for residential buildings, Eco Niwas Samhita. Increasing
adoption of these codes would mean decrease in the operational energy consumption in buildings. However, the
measures leading up to this decrease, specifically the envelope improvement measures including insulation and high-
performance glazing, could increase the embodied energy of this building stock. Furthermore, the integration of
renewable energy sources such as rooftop solar PV in buildings could scale-up the embodied energy. In India, nearly 25%
and 30%, respectively, of the total primary energy demand and GHG emissions are attributed to manufacturing of
building materials.13 Thus, it is crucial to balance the reduction in operational energy with the increasing embodied
energy.

It is possible to reduce the operational energy of new buildings without increasing the embodied energy. There are
strategies that could lead to lower embodied energy in buildings without compromising operational energy efficiency.
These include:

• Setting better specifications for mainstream building materials such as cement and steel to reduce their embodied
energy and carbon;
• Selecting alternative materials with low embodied energy such as timber, rammed earth, hempcrete, etc.;
• Designing leaner and light weight structure to minimize the overall volume and hence, the embodied energy of the
structure;

7
https://architecture2030.org/buildings_problem_why/
8
https://architecture2030.org/new-buildings-operations/
9
https://www.worldgbc.org/sites/default/files/UNEP%20188_GABC_en%20%28web%29.pdf
10
https://carbonleadershipforum.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/02/2017-CLF-Time-Value-of-Carbon.pdf
11
http://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/30950/2019GSR.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
12
http://iess2047.gov.in
13
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/embodied-energy-demystified-40064
6
• Designing with reuse and recovery of the materials in mind, once the serviceable life of the building is over;
• Designing and planning for circular usage of building materials
• Designing with the future use, adaptability and flexibility of the building itself in mind, for secondary uses;
• Locally sourcing heavy weight (high embodied energy) materials and globally procuring light weight (low embodied
energy) materials.
Selection of materials with low embodied energy and high thermal performance is an important key to strike the right
balance between competing operating and embodied energy. This note focuses on the conventional materials used in
India and their environmental footprint, case for low embodied energy materials in India, their state-of-play and the
programs focusing on their promotion, and the barriers and challenges they are faced with. The note also reviews
programs in the EU and the EU Member States to understand the advances and identify opportunities for learnings and
knowledge transfer.

7
2. Building materials in India
Conventional building materials in India
In 2019, the building materials industry of India was valued at $129 billion and accounted for 8% of the country’s GDP. 14
The industry is the second largest employer in India, after agriculture. Conventional materials include cement, steel,
aluminium, ceramic, lime, mortar, lime, glass, etc. Figure 5 and 6 describe the embodied energy and embodied carbon
of the common building materials used in India.

Aluminium 280.0 Aluminium 8.24

Polyurethane insulation 120.0 Polyurethane insulation 3.48
Polystyrene insulation 85.0 Polystyrene insulation 2.55
PVC 77.2 PVC 28.10
Stainless steel 56.7 Stainless steel 6.15
Ceramic sanitaryware 29.0 Ceramic sanitaryware 1.51
Glassfibre insulation 28.0 Glassfibre insulation 1.35
Iron 25.0 Iron 1.91
Recycled steel 21.5 Recycled steel 1.42
Embodied carbon (kgCO2/kg
Embodied energy (MJ/kg)

Glass 15.0 Glass 0.85

Plywood 15.0 Plywood 1.07
Ceramic tiles 12.0 Ceramic tiles 0.74
Plasterwood 6.8 Plasterwood 0.38
Clay tile 6.5 Clay tile 0.38
Cement 6.4 Cement 0.38
Aerated block 3.5 Aerated block 0.30
Common bricks 3.0 Common bricks 0.24
Marble 2.0 Marble 0.12
Gypsum plaster 1.8 Gypsum plaster 0.12
Terrazo tiles 1.4 Terrazo tiles 0.12
Concrete 1.1 Concrete 0.16
Limestone block 0.9 Limestone block 0.10
Concrete block 0.7 Concrete block 0.07
Rammed earth 0.5 Rammed earth 0.02

Figure 5: Embodied energy of common building materials Figure 6: Embodied carbon in common building
(Source: ICF, CSE) materials (Source: CSE)

Finishing materials such as paints also have high embodied energy in the range of 60-100 MJ/kg. 15 Solar PV panels are
notably high embodied energy materials, ranging 1,305-4,750 MJ/kg. 16 This is the reason behind significant increase in
the embodied energy of a building after integration of Rooftop PV.

As the importance of reducing operational energy grows, the focus on building materials which would increase the
envelope efficiency and airtightness is also increasing. For instance, increasing number of buildings are built with
insulation on wall and roof to reduce the thermal conductivity of individual building elements and the structure itself.
However, these materials come at high expenditure on embodied energy and carbon. Table 1 lists the embodied energy

14
https://thepropertytimes.in/building-materials-industry-grow-10-2019-backed-massive-infrastructure-
developments/#:~:text=Currently%20it%20is%20valued%20at,US%24%20738.5%20billion%20by%202022.
15
https://edgebuildings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IFC-India-Construction-Materials-Database-Methodology-Report.pdf
16
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/embodied-energy-demystified-40064
8
and thermal conductivity of conventional and alternative insulation materials. It is interesting to note that although the
difference in the thermal conductivity is around 40%, the difference in embodied energy could be 3-50 times.

Table 1: Embodied energy and Thermal conductivity of different insulation materials

Insulation materials Embodied energy (MJ/kg) Thermal conductivity (W/mK)

Straw bale 0.6 0.05217

Sheep wool 2.5 0.03918

Cellulose 3.6 0.04019

Cork insulation 8.3 0.03820

Wood wool 12.0 0.08021

Stone wool 15.0 0.03522

Mineral wool 16.6 0.03523

Rock wool 16.8 0.03324

Cellular glass 27.0 0.03625

Glass wool 37.0 0.03026

Expanded Polystyrene 85.0 0.03527

Polyurethane 120.0 0.02328

17
https://www.mdpi.com/20755309/7/1/11/pdf#:~:text=Shea%20studied%20the%20thermal%20conductivity,a%20large%20range%20of%20densities.&text=The%20thermal%20conductivit
y%20is%20there,mK%20when%20it%20is%20parallel
18
https://www.blackmountaininsulation.com/NatuWool_Technical_Sheet.pdf
19
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/cellulose-
insulation#:~:text=Thermal%20performance%20of%20cellulose%20insulation,wool%20and%20rock%20wool%20insulations).
20
https://www.corkstore24.co.uk/properties-of-cork-material/
21
https://heraklith.co.uk/expertise/thermal-insulation
22
http://www.paroc.com/~/media/Files/Solutions%20and%20Products/thermal-resistance-table-INT.ashx
23
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/mineralwool#:~:text=Mineral%20wool%20has%20a%20thermal,in.%2Fh%2Dft.&text=%2D%C2%B0R%20(0.035%20W%2F,density%2
0of%204.4%20lb%2Fft.&text=(70%20kg%2Fm3)
24
https://rti.rockwool.com/applications/marine-and-offshore/comfort/basic-theory/
25
https://www.foamglas.com/en/advice-center/protection-areas/temperature
26
https://www.nuclear-power.net/nuclear-engineering/heat-transfer/heat-losses/insulation-materials/thermal-conductivity-of-glass-
wool/#:~:text=Typical%20thermal%20conductivity%20values%20for,low%20thermal%20conductivity%20of%20gases.
27
http://www.eps.co.uk/applications/properties.html
28
https://www.sustainableplaces.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/SP2018-Hossain-Mourshed_Assessing-the-energy-efficiency-embodied-energy-of-insulation-materials-in-the-UK-housing-
stock.pdf
9
 In-situ Reinforced concrete slab 1020
Hollow core precast slab 750
In-situ concrete with >30% PFA 600
In-situ concrete with >25% GGBS 590
In-situ waffale concrete slab 575
Embodied energy (MJ/m2)

Precast concrete double tee units 575

Composite slim slabs with Steel I-beams 550
Light guage steel floor cassette 550
Concrete filler slab with polystyrene block 520
Thin precast concrete deck 500
Concrete filler slab 450
Precast RC planks and joist system 450
In-situ trough concrete slab 420
Composite in-situ concrete and steel deck 400
Timber floor 250

Figure 5: Embodied energy of different construction assemblies (Source: EDGE Embodied Energy Database)

Similarly, rammed earth bricks, concrete blocks and aerated blocks could be used as a replacement for clay fired bricks
(figure 5). The production process of clay fired bricks is a major source of air pollution. Different construction assemblies
could also help reduce the overall embodied energy. As can be seen from figure 7, 50-75% reduction is possible by using
different construction assemblies and construction techniques.

Initiatives in India
There are a few programs and initiatives ongoing in India when it comes to promoting low embodied energy building
materials. Much of the research in this domain is available in the form of academic and individual research, which is yet
to be materialized. This section highlights initiatives promoting low embodied energy materials and their mandate.

2.2.1. Study on fostering resource efficiency in the Indian building and construction
Sector29
This study was carried out under the EU Resource Efficiency Initiative (EU-REI). EU-REI for India is a three-and-a-half-
year project (until July 2020), and it works on Goal 12 of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) i.e. Sustainable
Consumption and Production (SCP) by way of adapting international standards and best practices in business on
resource efficiency and fostering the efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. The study under EU-REI focused
on the state of consumption of most common building materials through market assessment and engagement with
industry experts. In order to reduce the consumption of raw materials and to increase resource efficiency in the building
and construction sector, the study highlighted some key tangible and effectively implementable strategies that can
have real impact and is acceptable by all the key players. These strategies included (i) use of more sustainable raw
materials which include locally sourced and reusable construction and demolition waste; (ii) development of
transparency tools to promote such materials through materials inventory and Environmental Product Declarations
(EPDs); (iii) Development and promotion of indicator frameworks, green building rating systems and inclusion of
circularity concepts in existing indicator frameworks. The study also recommended to develop a task force to support
the respective public authorities in carrying out the implementation of the strategies proposed. Pilot demonstration of
these strategies with large private players was also identified to raise awareness and showcasing.

29
https://www.eu-rei.com/pdf/publication/Fostering%20Resource%20Efficiency%20in%20the%20Indian%20Building%20and%20Construction%20Sector.pdf
10
2.2.2. Strategy on resource efficiency in construction and demolition sector30
This strategy document was formulated under the EU Resource Efficiency Initiative to facilitate the implementation of
the C&D Waste Rules 2016. The strategy focused to ensure smooth implementation at Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) level.
It was found that despite increasing amount of C&D waste and the Rules being issued by different central authorities,
their implementation, especially at ULB level, faced issues and challenges in terms of physical and personnel resources.
In order to overcome these hurdles, the strategy suggested Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to support
ULBs for C&D waste management. The strategy also suggested to create an ad hoc task force for developing a standard
methodology for characterize and develop an inventory of C&D waste; development of an online platform for data
agglomeration and knowledge dissemination on best practices, technologies, management and business models. The
strategy also emphasized on development of instruments such as public procurement, development of standards and
certification, quality assurance, GST rebates etc. to promote utilization of recycled products.

2.2.3. India construction materials database of embodied energy and global warming
potential
The India Construction Materials Database of Embodied Energy and Global Warming Potential is developed by the
International Finance Corporation (IFC) and was funded under the ‘Eco-cities’ program. The database is developed to
help architects and engineers assess the environmental impact of commonly used building products and materials in
India.31 The database contains embodied energy and GWP data for more than 100 building materials available in the
Indian market. This database is also included in the EDGE App that produces instantaneous results for energy, water
and embodied energy in materials. As part of the EDGE rating system, the EDGE App enable the user to analyze
numerous combinations of preset construction materials and construction assemblies to reduce the embodied energy
of their design and also shows a breakup of embodied energy contribution from different building components. 32 33

Figure 6: Snapshot of EDGE App

30
https://www.eu-rei.com/pdf/publication/NA_MoHUA_Strategy%20on%20RE%20in%20C&D%20Sector_Jan%202019.pdf
31
https://edgebuildings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IFC-India-Construction-Materials-Database-Methodology-Report.pdf
32
https://edgebuildings.com/embodied-energy/
33
https://app.edgebuildings.com/?_ga=2.41458592.385887526.1601277766-1234934448.1596173300#/
11
2.2.4. Decision support toolkit
The Decision Support Toolkit (DST)
was developed under the UN-
Habitat’s ‘Mainstreaming
Sustainable Social Housing in India’
project, funded by the United
Nations Environment’s 10 Year
Framework Programme. The DST is
aimed at enabling developers,
practitioners and policy-makers to
integrate sustainability concepts in
the planning, design and
specification of social housing
projects in India. The DST addresses
the absence of a comprehensive
measurement framework to assess
sustainable materials.34 A
Sustainability Assessment Tool
(SAT) is developed within the DST
which fills missing data needed to
Figure 7: Snapshot of the Sustainability Assessment Tool developed as
quantify the performance and uses part of the DST
material mapping application to
spatially map the availability of sustainable building systems options across India. As a key component of the DST, SAT
has the capability to measure the relative performance of building materials and systems for social housing projects
using a framework of 18 attributes under 4 criteria. Among the 18 attributes, embodied energy and embodied carbon is
considered under Resource efficiency, which is one of the four criteria including Operational performance, User
acceptability and Economic aspects.35

2.2.5. Estimate of embodied energy for low carbon building construction

Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) undertook a project titled ‘Estimate of Embodied Energy
for Low Carbon Building Construction’ with IIT Roorkee. The project aimed to develop a methodology to estimate the
embodied energy of a building directly from its Bill of Quantities (BOQ), by prescribing Embodied Energy Rates (EER).
Under this project a software tool was developed to estimate embodied carbon of a building construction using its
BOQ; Highlight the best predictors of embodied energy in the building construction; Provide suitable low embodied
energy (or low carbon) substitutes for the high carbon materials based upon regional parameters; Estimate the
reduction in CO2 emissions with the low carbon substitutes and convert the reduced emissions into carbon credits.
Embodied energy values of more than 500 items have been calculated and complied, and validation of the tool is under
progress.36 37

2.2.6. GreenPro certified products, materials and

technologies directory
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has launched the GreenPro product
certification to facilitate green product market transformation in India through
product certification. The certification is based on Life Cycle approach,
assessing the environmental impact right from the raw material extraction to
the end of useful life of the product. The certification is intended to transform
the existing 'linear' - unsustainable process to a sustainable 'circular’ process,
thereby eliminating/ reducing the quantity of disposal of wastes in landfills or
through incineration. The certification covers cement, blocks, construction
chemicals, doors and window products, glass, insulation, paints and finishes,
ready mix concrete, and tiles.38 39 Figure 8: GreenPro certification
label awarded by CII

34
https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/documents/2019-05/mainstreaming_sustainable_social_housing_in_india.pdf
35
https://www.mainstreamingsustainablehousing.org/dst
36
https://www.bmtpc.org/DataFiles/CMS/file/PDF_Files/BMTPC_Annual_Report_1617_English_s.pdf
37
https://www.iitr.ac.in/departments/AR/pages/Research+Research_Projects_.html
38
http://activeads.in/greenpro/img/GreenPro-certified-Products-Materials-and-Technologies-Directory.pdf
39
http://activeads.in/greenpro/
12
2.2.7. Energy efficient building materials directory
GIZ is conducting testing of thermal performance of opaque materials and develop a building materials directory,
mapping 5000 materials across India along with their manufacturers and suppliers and conducting its market
assessment and techno-economic analysis. This directory would eventually a part of the ECO-NIWAS tool. The objective
of the materials tool is to assist the building practitioners, developers and policy makers, in taking informed decision on
selection of energy efficient materials.40 41 Although this particular initiatives does not focus on embodied energy and
embodied carbon, it is included here due to its comprehensive focus on the number and type of building materials and
a potential to focus on life-cycle performance.

Observations on current initiatives

The previous section discussed some recent and ongoing initiatives on promotion of low embodied energy materials in
the Indian construction sector. Few of them provide decision making tools, a few are focusing on development of
database and there is also a product certification program focusing on embodied energy as one of the decision
parameters. Although these outcomes are intended to be useful as a stand-alone, the possibilities of their integration
with other policy and regulatory instruments are yet to be explored. For instance, the EDGE App could be integrated
with the ECBC 2017 as part of the latter’s material database. The Decision Support Toolkit could be extended to the
broader residential sector through an integration with Eco Niwas Samhita. EER tool developed by BMTPC and IIT
Roorkee could be integrated with the Building Energy Efficiency Labeling Program as part of the labeling process.

These initiatives also lack on demonstrating a clear business case to select low embodied energy building materials over
common and mainstream building materials. The EER tool has a carbon credit component to it however its business
appeal is yet to be promoted to designers and developers. Partially, it could also be because the use of low embodied
energy building materials does not yield operational savings and monetary benefits. Nevertheless, the Indian building
materials market needs to adopt and learn from developed and more sustainable building markets.

National and regional activity in the domain of low embodied energy building materials is ongoing for more than past
five years. However, these initiatives have not promoted low embodied energy materials enough to make them stand
out as an alternative to their mainstream counterpart. There is a need to conduct more awareness and promotional
events and initiatives, B2B partnerships and aligning with ongoing policy programs.

Barriers and challenges

As the penetration of low embodied building materials in the industry is lower, it calls for identifying the barriers and
challenges faced. An initial research in to market reports and studies suggest the following challenges faced. 42 43 44 These
challenges would be detailed out based on one-to-one stakeholder consultations. Among other studies, a project
produced under the EU Resource Efficiency Initiative ‘Fostering Resource Efficiency in the Indian Building and
Construction Sector’ identified the following barriers:

• Energy intensive material extraction, processing processes

• Lack of transparency and regulatory in the building materials industry regarding environmental footprint of material
products such as Environmental Product Declarations, etc.
• Lack of sustainable public procurement policy specifying the use of low embodied energy building materials
• Absence of market-based instruments such as increased taxes on extraction of raw materials
• Absence of resource efficient business models
• Lack of standardized regulations on construction demolition waste across the country
• Lack of circular economy aspects in materials industry
• Inadequate and isolated research activities

40
https://www.energyforum.in/fileadmin/user_upload/india/media_elements/publications/20200624_Report_ANGAN_19/20190909_11_ANGAN_Compendium.pdf
41
http://mahindratericoe.com/announcements.php
42
https://www.devalt.org/images/L2_ProjectPdfs/Climate_and_construction-an_impact_assessment(1).pdf
43
https://www.eu-rei.com/pdf/publication/Fostering%20Resource%20Efficiency%20in%20the%20Indian%20Building%20and%20Construction%20Sector.pdf
44
http://moef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Draft-National-Resourc.pdf
13
3. EU and EU Member States practices
and initiatives
This section details out the initiatives and practices in place in the EU and the EU Member States (MS) to promote low
embodied energy building materials and promoting research and innovation (R&I) activities.

EU programmes supporting R&I

The following EU programmes support the R&I work in India-

Horizon 2020
Horizon 2020 has been the biggest EU Research and Innovation program, running from 2014 to 2020, with nearly 80
billion Euros funding. Horizon 2020 has been the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe
2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness. The program has been backed by European
leaders as a means to drive economic growth and create jobs. The program has been aimed to achieve smart,
sustainable and inclusive economic growth. The program goal has been to ensure that Europe produces world-class
science and technology, removes barriers to innovation and makes it easier for the public and private sectors to work
together in delivering solutions to big challenges facing the society.45 The construction material area is in line with the
Societal Challenge 5: "Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials" of Horizon 2020.
Considerable amount of research on low embodied energy materials has been carried out under this program, which is
discussed in subsequent sections.

EU Innovation Platform in India

The European Commission has launched the EU Innovation Platform in India and the India-EU incubators and
accelerators network. Both initiatives aim at fostering innovation and co-creation between both regions. The main
objective of this is to foster exchange of information on the Indian innovation ecosystem and create synergies among
the innovation initiatives undertaken by Member States (MS) and countries associated (AC) to the EU framework
programme for research and innovation.

EURAXESS India
EURAXESS India links researchers in India with Europe. It is an information and networking tool for European
researchers, scientists, and scholars working in or commuting to India. Free information and events on research
funding, research careers and collaboration opportunities are available in EURAXESS. EURAXESS India has been serving
researchers in all fields interested in a research career in Europe since 2011.

1.2 Buildings as Material Banks (BAMB)

This project was funded under Horizon 2020 and it aimed at prevention of construction and demolition waste, the
reduction of virgin resource consumption and development towards a circular economy through industrial symbiosis,
addressing the challenges mentioned in the Programme on Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw
materials.46 The BAMB-project was intended to implement the principles of the waste hierarchy: the prevention of
waste, its reuse and recycling. This was achieved by developing and integrating two complementary value adding
frameworks - Materials passports and Reversible building design. These frameworks would change the conventional
(cradle-to-grave) building design, so that buildings could be transformed to new functions (extending their life span) or
disassembled to building components or material feedstock that can be upcycled in new constructions (using Materials
passports). This way, continuous loops of materials are created while large amounts of waste would be prevented. 47

45
https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/background-material
46
https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/h2020-section/climate-action-environment-resource-efficiency-and-raw-materials
47
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/642384
14
The electronic Materials Passports developed in BAMB aim to be a one stop shop for material information. Materials
Passports developed in BAMB are sets of data describing defined characteristics of materials in products that give them
value for recovery and reuse. 48 49

BAMB Materials Passports aim to:

• Increase the value or keep the value of materials, products and components over time;

• Create incentives for suppliers to produce healthy, sustainable and circular materials/building products;

• Support materials choices in Reversible Building Design projects;

• Make it easier for developers, managers and renovators to choose healthy, sustainable and circular building
materials; and

• Facilitate reversed logistics and take back of products, materials and components

Figure 9: Illustration of the Materials Passport50

Within the project more than 300 Materials Passports for various products, components or materials are developed
together with a software solution. The software facilitates the appropriate accessibility of information for different
stakeholders at specific stages in the process. 51

One of the expected key outcomes of the project is new business models for material circularity. In comparison to
more developed building sustainability elements such as energy, material circularity is still rather new in many aspects.
Related business models vary significantly in maturity depending on product/material category, overall, with
ample room for growth. Supplier buy- back agreements and product-service systems are being developed, though how
to put retrieved items back into the economy, as well as how to establish solid financial cases for involved stakeholders,
are among the topics which still need further substantiation. Encouraging advance has been made
in deconstruction business models, while more attention is needed to develop second-hand market demand.52 To
ensure uptake of BAMB outputs, new business models based on reverse logistics and circular value chains in buildings
are being developed. An industry value network analysis has been carried out, based on which the different business
needs and opportunities have been identified.53

48
https://www.bamb2020.eu/topics/materials-passports/
49
https://www.bamb2020.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/D7-Operational-materials-passports.pdf
50
https://www.bamb2020.eu/topics/pilot-cases-in-bamb/new-office-building/
51
https://www.bamb2020.eu/topics/materials-passports/
52
https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Business_models_for_building_material_circularity:_learnings_from_frontrunner_cases#:~:text=There%20is%20ample%20room%20for,new%2
0concept%20in%20many%20aspects.
53
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/642384/reporting
15
1.3 Cradle-to-Cradle Certification
Cradle to Cradle Certified is a certification program developed by the
European Advisory Council to recognize more sustainable products made
for the circular economy. Products and materials are assessed for
environmental and social performance across five critical sustainability
categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon
management, water stewardship, and social fairness. A product is
assigned an achievement level (Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) for
each category. A product’s lowest category achievement also represents
its overall certification level. The standard encourages continuous
improvement over time by awarding certification on the basis of
ascending levels of achievement and requiring certification renewal Figure 10: Illustration of C2C
every two years.54 55 A total of 466 products have been registered so far, certification
70% of which comprise of building and commercial interiors. 56
1.4 Technological research and advancements
Research is being carried out to develop new technologies and materials to reduce embodied energy and construct
more sustainably. Some of these include:
• The ECO-BINDER (under Horizon 2020) was aimed to develop a new generation of concrete-based construction
materials and pre-fabricated building envelope components with more than 30% lower embodied energy, 20%
improved insulation properties and 15 % lower cost than the current solutions that are based on Portland cement. 57

• The SUS-CON project (FP7-NMP) focused on several eco-sustainable concrete recipes, based on innovative
aggregates and binders from secondary raw materials (such as plastic waste, electrical and electronic equipment
waste, polyurethane foam and municipal solid waste). The pre-cast and ready-mixed SUS-CON prototypes were
industrially produced during the project by European construction companies. SUS-CON met its project targets by
using 100% secondary raw materials to successfully replace traditional aggregates and binders. These techniques
helped to reduce 50% CO2 footprint of concrete and the costs of building raw materials by 15%. 58

• The Low Embodied Energy Advanced (Novel) Insulation Materials and Insulating Masonry Components for Energy
Efficient Buildings (LEEMA), funded under FP7-NMP, developed and tested novel inorganic polymer materials
suitable for insulating both new and retrofitted buildings. The products created by the LEEMA team are known as
‘3I’ in that they are inorganic, insulating and incombustible. The two key components developed within the LEEMA
project are the 3I Loose Filling materials (3I LFM) – new lightweight expanded granular materials that can replace
traditional bulk insulation – and 3I Binders, designed to replace cementitious binders or even clay. 3I LFMs for cavity
wall insulation have been shown to have 40 % lower density than traditional materials, with preliminary estimations
suggesting that the material can be competitively priced. all 3I LFMs have between 40% and 60% less embodied
energy per functional unit compared to expanded perlite.59

• The BIOBUILD project (FP7-NMP) was aimed at reducing the high embodied energy in External building facades,
internal partitions and suspended ceilings which form an integral part of building structures. The main objective
was to reduce embodied energy by at least 50% over current materials with no increase in cost. The project
introduced two resins - an unsaturated polyester with monomers partially derived from agricultural feedstocks, and
a polyfurfuryl alcohol resin produced from agricultural waste rich in hemicellulose. The reinforcement was strong
cellulosic fibres from the stems of flax and jute plants. 60

54
https://www.c2ccertified.org/get-certified/levels
55
https://www.c2ccertified.org/get-certified/product-certification
56
https://www.c2ccertified.org/news/article/2016-certification-by-the-numbers
57
https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/118434-new-cement-could-dramatically-reduce-building-industrys-carbon-footprint
58
https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/173491-greening-concrete-with-secondary-raw-materials
59
https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/151478-inorganic-polymers-bring-insulation-to-the-next-level
60
https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/91789-revolutionising-the-construction-sector
16
1.5 Level(s) - The European framework for sustainable buildings
Level(s) is a common EU framework of core indicators for the sustainability of office and residential buildings. Level(s)
provides a set of indicators and common metrics for measuring the performance of buildings along their life cycle. As
well as environmental performance, it also enables other important related performance aspects to be assessed using
indicators and tools for health and comfort, life cycle cost and potential future risks to performance. Level(s) aims to
provide a standardization of sustainability for buildings, which should enable actions to be taken at building level that
can make a clear contribution to broader European environmental policy objectives. It is structured as follows:

• Macro-objectives: An overarching set of six macro-objectives for the Level(s) framework that contribute to EU and
Member State policy objectives in areas such as energy, material use and waste, water and indoor air quality.
• Core Indicators: A set of 9 common indicators for measuring the performance of buildings which contribute to
achieving each macro-objective.
• Life cycle tools: A set of 4 scenario tools and 1 data collection tool, together with a simplified Life Cycle Assessment
(LCA) methodology, that are designed to support a more holistic analysis of the performance of buildings based on
whole life cycle thinking.
• Value and risk rating: A checklist and rating system provides information on the potential positive contribution to a
property valuation and the underlying reliability of performance assessments made using the Level(s) framework.

In addition, the Level(s) framework aims to promote life cycle thinking. It guides users from an initial focus on individual
aspects of building performance towards a more holistic perspective, with the aim of wider European use of Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA).

Thus, the Indian building industry could benefit from the learnings and technology and knowledge transfer from its
European counterpart. Indian policies could also be framed, considering the European regulations and taxations on
extraction and processing of raw materials. Aspects of circular economy and sustainability framework could be
adopted. Business models to increase the value proposition of low embodied energy and sustainable materials could
be studied and adopted.

1.6 Link with Mission Innovation

Mission Innovation, founded in 2015, is a global intergovernmental initiative to accelerate clean energy innovation. The
program is focused on stimulating innovation with the objective to make clean energy more widely acceptable. The
program goals include sustainable boost in public-sector investment, increased private sector engagement and
investment, increasing international collaboration and raising awareness of transformational potential of energy
innovation. The Innovation Challenges under the program are focused on Smart grids, Off-grid access to electricity,
Carbon capture and storage, Sustainable biofuels, Converting sunlight, Clean energy materials, Affordable heating and
cooling of buildings, and Renewable and clean hydrogen. 61 Low embodied energy materials fit under the Innovation
challenges (IC) pertaining to (IC#3) carbon capture and storage, and (IC#6) clean energy materials.

61
http://mission-innovation.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/1.-MI-Impact-Review-2020.pdf
17
4. Focusing on a few areas of possible
EU-India collaboration
Context
In this chapter more detailed information is provided on 4 possible focus areas:
• Material Passport and Building Passport (4.2)
• Reversible building design (4.3)
• Cradle-to-Cradle certification (4.4)
• EU’s sustainable public procurement model (4.5)

EU’s approach on Material Passport and Building Passport

The EU’s Buildings As Materials Bank (BAMB) project aims to increase the value of building materials through dynamic
and flexible design of buildings and where materials in buildings sustain their value. Under the project, Material Passport
and Building Passport are being developed.

4.2.1. EU’s Material Passport

The main objective of the Material Passports is to support
the transition of building materials from linear to circular Chemical Properties
usage. The passport focuses on the following properties Physical Properties (including
embodied energy)
of the materials (details are provided under Anexure 1)

Material Passports are created using a platform called

Material Passport Platform (MPP). MPP has been Biological
Material Health
developed under the BAMB project and is linked with a Properties
database which consists of data related to relevant
properties of building materials.

MPP is an open-access platform which can be used all the Unique Product and Design and
stakeholders including material manufacturers, System Identifiers production
architects and engineers, academia and researchers.

Transpotation and Use & Operate

Logistics Phase

Figure 11: Properties included in Material

Passport

18
 Figure 12: Screenshot of MPP

4.2.1.1. Material Passports Creation Process

Data Validation by
Input Data Provided by Material Passport is
automated system and
the Users on MPP issued
TPAs

Figure 13: Material Passport creation process

• The material passport is issued based on the input material data provided by various user groups such as
Manufacturers, Installers, Architects/Engineers/Contractors, Facility Managers, Property and Building Owners.
• The data is first validated by an automatic validation system for formats including check digits and completeness of
data provided against each field of the data collection form.
• Next, the data is verified by a quality assurance body which consists of one or more Third Party Assessors (TPAs)
and have different techniques and methodologies (laboratory tests to assess performance of the material against
each field) to validate the data.
• The material passport is then issued. The validation is provided as an input to the Material Passport Platform and
stored in it.
4.2.1.2. Impact
• Under BAMB project, a total of 345 Material Passports62 were generated using MPP63.
4.2.1.3. Potentials of Digitization
• Material passports are more useful when it is integrated with Information Technology to capture, store and analyze
the dynamic information over long periods of time. Few examples are as follows:
• Building façade scan with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify material composition in an automated
way in future.
• Blockchain technology to ensure data validity when information from different databased is compiled.

4.2.2. EU’s Building Passport

• Building Passports contain information related to all the materials integrated in the specific building/project. The
building passports consists of various information as depicted in the figure below.

62
https://www.bamb2020.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/D7-Operational-materials-passports.pdf
63 https://www.bamb2020.eu/topics/materials-passports/materials-passports-platform-prototype/
19
 LCA including Material Transformation Separability of
Recyclability/
recycling Health/Building / Reuse layers of
Reparability
potential Biology potential construction

Resource value Thermal

potential conductivity

Figure 14: Attributes of Building Passport

• Buildings Material Passport (BMP) online tool is developed under the BAMB project to gather data on the
construction assemblies and the corresponding materials used in the building. The tool is also used to generate the
building passports.

Figure 15: Screenshot of BMP

4.2.2.1. Building Passports creation process

Input Data Provided by Data Validation through Building Passport is

the Users on BMP on-site audit issued

Figure 16: Building Passport creation process

• Data needed to issue Building Passports is collected through the BMP and is validated through on-site audit.
• Once the data is validated, the BMP provides a one-page evaluation sheet displaying evaluation of the key
parameters.

Impact
• Under BAMB project, a total of 7 building passports were generated using the BMP tool. 64

64
https://www.bamb2020.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/D7-Operational-materials-passports.pdf
20
4.2.2.2. Relevant elements from EU’s material passports for Building materials directory of India
• BEE is developing an online tool for
Building Materials Directory of
India65. This will encourage the use
of energy-efficient materials in the
construction industry and
establishment of building material
standards and labels.

• The directory enlists the following

data of materials:
o Material category
o Manufacturer
o Emissivity
o Solar absorptance
o Specific heat conductivity
o Thermal conductivity Figure 17: A snapshot of Building Materials Directory
o Reflectance
o Density

• Currently, the embodied energy and carbon aspect of building materials has not been included as a parameter in
the Building Materials Directory (Fig. 5).
• Embodied energy aspects similar to the Material Passport developed under BAMB can be included in the directory.
• Inclusion of embodied energy could be done independently by the BEE or through collaboration with other existing
initiatives described in the next section.

4.2.3. Estimate of embodied energy for low carbon building construction66

• A tool to calculate embodied energy is being developed by IIT Roorkee and BMTPC.
• All the construction materials including masonry, concrete, RCC have been included in this tool. The materials data
has been extracted from the Central Public Works Department (CPWD)’s “Analysis of Rates” directory.
• For each of these construction items, the embodied energy has been calculated and updated in the tool database.
• With the help of this database, the embodied energy of the building can be estimated using the BOQ of the building.
• Based on the applications, these calculated embodied values of the materials can also be used to determine the
equivalent units of electricity consumption and carbon credits.
• It also provides recommendations on alternative materials such as steel, bricks etc. which can be replaced with the
existing materials to reduce the embodied energy.
• The tool has been developed in MATLAB which is an easy-to-use software. Currently, it is not available for public
use as IIT Roorkee is yet to submit the final report to BMTPC.
• The tool has significant potential to be embedded with BEE’s building materials directory to cover the embodied
energy aspects. IIT Roorkee has shown openness to collaborate to take forward their research.

65
https://www.econiwas.com/materialdirectorypublicportal/public/index.php
66
Based on preliminary primary consultation with Prof. Chani of IIT Roorkee
21
 4.2.4. Relevant elements from the EU’s approach for the Building Passport
developed under the BEE’s Residential Building Energy Labeling Program
• Building Passport is developed under the Residential Building Energy Labeling Program by BEE 67. It is essentially a
certificate booklet of a building to maintain records of the label validity and energy performance through its lifecycle.
• It is important to note that the energy performance correspondence of the operational phase of the building.
• Aspects of Building Passports including embodied energy, material health and reuse potential can be integrated with
BEE’s Buildings Passport initiative which is based on the operational energy use. This would expand the scope of the
later initiative and make it comprehensive and more holistic.
• The Building Passport developed under the BAMB project can be explored in further detail for this purpose.

Reversible Building Design

• Reversible Building Design68 is the design of buildings which can be easily deconstructed and can be used for a new
construction without damaging the building or its products, components and materials. It helps in creating flexible
and transformable buildings and allows efficient resource repair without damaging other parts of the buildings.
• It eliminates waste and enables a circular building sector which uses reusable materials, products and components.
Currently, this has been tested by multiple players on an experimental basis, but it is yet to be brought in
mainstream commercial buildings.
• From the case studies below, the following observations are made:
o The case studies have been conducted in controlled laboratory environment. Exposure of the building
materials to the external conditions and their actual performance in terms of their reversibility and
circularity is not yet explored
o The materials used in the below cases mainly include metal and wood-based products which are largely
uncommon in India. The circularity and separability of India’s common building materials (bricks, blocks,
RCC, etc.) could be different and needs to be studied in detail.

Table 2: Case Studies on Reversible Building Design

Project Objective Material and Products Used Achievement

Build Reversible Prove the convenience and • Reclaimed metal sheets. The Circular Design
in Conception feasibility of integrating circular • Zero formaldehyde-oriented strategy
(BRIC) – EFP, building techniques and to strand board (OSB) made demonstrated to
Brussels, integrate the transformation from industrial wood waste. achieve
Belgium69 phase into the design process to • Wood Wool Insulation approximately 41,770
better forecast the ability to obtained from industrial kg CO2-eq savings
recover materials and maintain waste compared to a non-
their value. • 30% of reclaimed wooden circular approach.
battens
• Galvanized steel screwed
foundations
• Rock-panel
• Cedarwood lathing
• Cellulose insulation material.
• Mud bricks
• Reed insulation
• Clay- based plaster
• Glass
Green To test and demonstrates • Steel profile: enables The footprint of the
Transformable reversible building design e.g. assembly/ disassembly metal as a material for
Building Lab – building products and elements. construction is

67 https://beeindia.gov.in/sites/default/files/Schedule%20-%20Residential%20building%20labelling.pdf
68
https://www.bamb2020.eu/topics/reversible-building-design/
69
https://www.bamb2020.eu/topics/pilot-cases-in-bamb/bric/
22
 ODS Klocker, • Kerto© Wood: standardized assessed based on
Ridderkerk, The reversible wooden cassettes the end-of-life
Netherlands70 • Triple solar glass: built-in recycling scenario.
thermal heat technology This drastically
• Polycarbonate: reduces the material
• Circular Tool: Building footprint and waste
Information Modelling creation.
(BIM)
Reversible To enable interaction on the • Octanorm Aluminum The estimated waste
Experience integration of material profiles for wall reduction potential of
Modules - passports, healthy materials, and construction, the REMs is about 99%
Brussels (BE), reversible design. • Octanorm Aluminum ceiling for each of the 6
London (UK), construction, Birch panels transformations over
Watford (UK), for printing visual REM a span of a year.
Amsterdam modules, Armstrong,
(NL), Eindhoven • Troldtekt ceiling system,
(NL), Westerlo • Lindner floor system,
(BE)71 Lighting fixtures
Circular Retrofit The circular refurbishment • Re-used modular concrete The prototypes have
Lab (CRL) - VUB tested dismountable, adaptable structure. minimal
Campus, and reusable solutions for • Geberit GIS system - environmental
Brussels, maximizing waste reduction. prefabrication of sanitary impacts especially in
Belgium72 facilities the maintenance and
• Saint-Gobain - replacement
preassembled, wood frame scenarios compared
system with gypsum to the baseline
fibreboard cladding. design.
• demountable and reusable
wall system composed.
• Systimber (P5) is a
prefabricated interior and/or
exterior wall and floor
system.
• JuuN.oo system is adaptable
metal frames and reversible
Velcro connections.

70
https://www.bamb2020.eu/topics/pilot-cases-in-bamb/gtbl/
71
https://www.bamb2020.eu/topics/pilot-cases-in-bamb/rem/
72
https://www.bamb2020.eu/topics/pilot-cases-in-bamb/retrofit-lab/
23
 Data validation under the EU’s Cradle-to-Cradle Certification
To certify a material or product under Cradle-to-Cradle Certified Product standard or to receive Material Health
Certificate, the manufacturing company must work with a qualified independent assessment body to meet the required
standards. The certification process has been depicted in Figure

Work with the

Determine if Select an assessor to Report the
Receive
your product is Accredited compile and progress of the
certification for
appropriate for Assessment evaluate data product in every
the product
certification Body and two years
documentation

Figure 18 Key Steps in Cradle-to-Cradle Certification73

EU procurement strategy for green construction materials

• EU Green Public Procurement (GPP) 74 is a process where public authorities seek to produce goods, services and
works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle.
• EU GPP criteria is specifically related to office buildings and is a voluntary instrument.
• Among a number of green and energy efficient criteria, it also emphasizes on specifying materials with lower
embodied environmental impacts and resource use (these may be based on a life-cycle assessment).
• According to the Big Buyers Initiative for Public Procurement of Circular Construction Material 75, the procurement
criteria for circular construction materials that have been used or being considered by the participants in this
initiative are as follows:

Table 3 Procurement Criteria for Circular Construction Materials

Criteria
Require extended contractor
responsibility; Use of total cost
of ownership (TCO) as price
criterion
Explanation
• Contractor or material supplier has responsibility for maintenance for a
specified time range after project delivery and/or take back of the materials
at end of use, which incentivizes the choice of durable, recoverable materials.

Require use of lifecycle analysis • LCA accounts for environmental impact from cradle to grave, and can be
(LCA) conducted at the product, component, system or whole project scale. The
LCA methodology should be clarified for tenderers and should not hinder
competition - e.g. in the case of using a specific tool, training and accessibility
should be considered.

• National methods and tools should align with the European Commission’s
Level(s) and European Standards. Many cities in the working group use LCA

73
https://www.c2ccertified.org/get-certified/product-certification-process
74
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/buying_handbook_en.htm
75
https://bigbuyers.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/Materials/BBI-CCM-lessons-learned.pdf
24
 as a standard requirement in public construction procurements, though
accuracy of data and methods are being constantly refined.

Require use of at least a • Requirements for secondary material content of which the application may
minimum percentage of reused be specified. For instance, recycled aggregates in concrete - to avoid
and/ or recycled materials downcycling and undesirable trade-offs

Require Environmental Product • An EPD can certify the comprehensive environmental footprint and
Declarations (EPDs) for the main performance of a building material. Requirements for their use can be
construction materials applied, for example, for the top ten materials by volume or value.

Foresight for on-site material • In order to avoid construction waste, a plan is required of the construction
management contractor for how they will sort and manage materials on-site.

Maximum embodied carbon
limits for new and leased
buildings
• An embodied carbon limit could be set for all new constructions, with a
maximum carbon footprint per square meter according to building type.
• Embodied carbon footprints take into consideration emissions up the supply
chain, including material extraction, processing and transportation.

Early design carbon limits for • Require the project to have a baseline for carbon impact in the earliest
infrastructure projects feasible design phase. Infrastructure projects vary widely and cannot be
standardized by type (unlike buildings), so the baseline becomes a
contractual obligation for the contractor to not surpass the set carbon limit.

Use of low carbon cement and • As concrete is one of the most common but also most carbon intensive
concrete construction materials, special focus can be given to incentivize innovation
to reduce its footprint (e.g. by inclusion of by-product additives or including
recycled aggregates)

Require calculation of project
carbon footprint
• Carbon calculations at the product-level are advanced, but further data is
needed on works to accurately understand a project’s whole footprint.
Requirements to calculate this can strengthen available data and be used
early on to make design decisions and keep a project on track to the
expected carbon budget throughout project development

Require reducing transportation
and/or zero emission transport
of bulk/ heavy materials to/ from
and around the construction site
Mandate assessment of
renovation vs knock-down and
rebuild comparison
• The supplier is awarded points for the ratio of zero-emissions, and/or biogas
vehicles used to transport bulk materials to/ from the construction site.
• Requiring a comparison of cost and carbon for renovation and refurbishment
versus complete demolition and rebuilding can incentivize deep renovations,
with material, energy and carbon savings.

4.5.1. Verification of compliance with the EU GPP criteria

In order to ensure the compliance with the EU GPP criteria, the Buying Green Handbook on green public procurement 76
recommends tenderers to include either or all of the following instruments:

• Evidence of compliance with relevant environmental legislation, or national implementing laws

• Labels can be used to verify compliance with additional environmental requirements

76
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/pdf/Buying-Green-Handbook-3rd-Edition.pdf
25
• A test report or certificate from a conformity assessment body can be required where appropriate, provided you
accept certificates from equivalent conformity assessment bodies
• A self-declaration on the part of tenderers that they comply with environmental requirements may need to be
accepted due to the impossibility of proving compliance by objective third-party evidence

4.5.2. Relevant elements from EU’s GPP for the Central Public Works Department
(CPWD)’s Schedule of Rates (SOR) and Specifications
• CPWD’s SOR is a document which enlists the specifications and costs of all building material for civil, electrical,
plumbing, interior and other constructions. This document is referred by all government departments to estimate
the cost of building construction and specifications that need to be followed in procurement and construction of
public buildings.
• SORs specify the description and requirements of building materials and products, per unit cost and rate analysis.
• Specifications enlist the requirements and relevant IS codes and standards that need to be followed and the
verification process.
• The SORs and specifications, however, do not currently focus on green procurement and green practices,
specifically in terms of embodied energy and carbon.
• Like the EU’s GPP, CPWD’s SOR possibly look into inclusion of criteria related to green practices and Specifications
such as embodied energy and carbon.

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5. Possible R&I interventions
Matchmaking between the EU and EU Member States and India under the construction material area could take place
at three different fronts – technological, policy and regulatory, and market-based interventions. For technological
developments, the members of Indian building industry could carry out R&I activities to develop low embodied energy
alternatives and construction technologies through technology and knowledge transfer from the EU and support under
the Mission Innovation, HORIZON 2020 and the EU Innovations Platform in India would be critical. Policy makers could
gain insights on development of forward-looking and innovative policy instruments such as development of
transparency tools and framework, taxation, carbon credits through knowledge transfer from their European
counterparts. Development of innovative and attractive business models is another major area of collaboration for
market transformation. Industry leaders and associations could benefit from insights from the European market and
their experiences.

To deepen the penetration of low embodied energy materials in India, several R&I interventions would be required.
These interventions could be in line with those developed and adopted by the EU and EU Member States. Some of these
interventions could be categorized as:

Technological R&I instruments

This could include technology and knowledge exchange with the EU to -

• develop low embodied energy materials,

• streamline processes to make C&D waste efficiently reusable,
• inclusion of concepts of circular economy in designing of buildings and demonstration through pilots,
• reversible building design and planning,
• introducing time value of carbon as a metric in selection of building materials, etc.
This work could be carried out in collaboration with materials manufacturers, research institutes, architects, etc.

Market level R&I instruments

This could include working with the EU on -

• development of new business models to promote the use of low embodied energy materials in the Indian
market,
• development of public procurement model framework,
• devise market-based instruments to disincentivize high embodied energy materials,
• incorporation of reverse logistics in the building materials industry.
This could be carried out through the intervention of central authorities including CPWD, BMTPC, MoHUA, CREDAI etc.,
working in close collaboration with market leaders.

Policy level R&I instruments

This could consist of collaboration with the EU on -

• development of transparency tools such as Material Passport, Environmental Product Declarations, etc.
• knowledge dissemination platforms and central inventory of low embodied energy materials,
• development of S&L program for building materials based on Cradle-to-Gate (for material manufacturers) and
Cradle-to-Cradle (for building designers) concepts.
This could be undertaken by various central authorities including Bureau of Energy Efficiency, National Institute of
Urban Affairs, MoHUA, EU-REI, etc. and research institutions.

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Annexure 1: Parameters considered in developing Materials Passport
under BAMB
Input Parameters
Physical Properties
Chemical Properties
Biological Properties
Material Health
Unique Product and
System Identifiers
Design and production
Features
• Dimensions & Weight,
• Density
• Building Physics (Energy & thermal performance, transparency etc.)
• Resistance & Rigidity (Expected lifetime, Tensile strength, testing)
• Actively beneficial function (Cleans air, ease of recycling & reuse)
• Others
• Chemical Composition
• Health & Safety
• LCA - environmental assessment (Emission trading, resource taxation)
• LCC - economic assessment
• SLCA - social assessment
• Material criticality
• Recycling & re-use potentials
• Lifespans and durability
• Resistance & stability
• Others
• Renewable/non-renewable
• Untreated/treated
• Decomposability
• Recycling
• Re-use potentials
• Others
• Legislation & policy (REACH, CE marking)
• Maintenance (e.g. cleaning)
• Beneficial functions
• Product certification & labels
• Building certification
• Occupant wellbeing
• Emissions
• Material Composition (Toxicity, Additives)
• MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)
• GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification, Labelling and Packaging
of Chemicals)
• CMR (Carcinogenic Mutagen Reprotoxic)
• SVHC (Substance of Very High Concern), Monitoring, Indoor air quality,
Others
• Product name
• Manufacturer's details
• Temporal information
• GTIN or EAN number
• CAS number
• Product’s main function
• Product properties
• Product picture
• Product complexity
• Others
• Manufacturer & Supplier documentation
• Material & product composition
• Manufacturing process & techniques
• Installation handling & instructions
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 • Digitalization
• Certifications
• Logistics
Transportation and • Required vehicles
Logistics • Required labor & costs
• Required tools
• Health & safety requirements
• Storage requirements
• Material flow analysis
• Information flows
• Supply chain
• Trackability
• Packaging
• Handling instructions
• Others
Use & Operate Phase • Cleaning & maintenance instructions
• Material properties
• Warranties
• Service life & expected use times
• Availability of spare parts
• Digitization
• Monitoring & Consumption
• Outside Influences (Fire, Flooding)

Annexure 2: Case studies of EU procurement strategy for green

construction materials
Criteria Example of Use
Require extended • The Paris 2024 Olympic arena construction contract will be awarded based
contractor responsibility; on the global cost for 30 years, of which for the first 10 years the constructor
Use of total cost of is still liable for all materials and operation cost.
ownership (TCO) as price
• In Amsterdam, a bypass (temporary road) will be built with a target to be
criterion
100% circular. The material cycle will be organized on a local scale and the
bypass will be offered to Amsterdam as a service, meaning that the
contractor is the owner of the materials being used. The contractor is in
charge of the design, realization, maintenance and removal of the bypass.
Require use of lifecycle • In The Netherlands, the Building Act requires all residential and office
analysis (LCA) buildings whose surface exceeds 100 m2 to account for their embodied
impacts at the building-permit application stage in the form of an LCA using
the national assessment method and associated database. Since 2018, this
includes a mandatory environmental impact cap for buildings at 1.00 EUR per
m2 and year.
• Helsinki uses the OneClick LCA tool in its construction procurements,
providing the tool and training for use to tenderers. In the construction of
wooden apartment blocks at Kuninkaantammi, the carbon footprint was
weighted at 14% of the award criteria and must be calculated twice in the
design and once in the construction phase
Require use of at least a • In Zurich, concrete in public constructions e.g. for social housing and roads
minimum percentage of use up to 70-98% recycled aggregate and asphalt respectively. The city has
reused and/ or recycled worked to raise the percentage of recycled materials in its construction
materials
materials incrementally over the past 15 years.
• Rotterdam procured road works with 99% reclaimed asphalt granulates.

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Require Environmental • In Oslo, for municipal buildings it is required to collect at least 2 EPDs from a
Product Declarations minimum 10 of the largest (by volume) material groups. Products with the
(EPDs) for the main lowest climate emissions should be chosen.
construction materials
Foresight for on-site • In Copenhagen, a plan for handling construction waste must be submitted
material management before a project starts. The plan must specify which waste fractions are to
be sorted at source on-site, how the waste is to be stored, and where the
waste containers are placed.
• In Vantaa, on each construction site, the city performs a geotechnical soil
survey, then the project team aims to maximise on-site soil reuse. Land
masses that must be displaced to other locations are assigned to another
site within the city. Site proximities are preferred to avoid transportation
costs
Maximum embodied • Oslo is currently exploring the application of an embodied carbon limit on
carbon limits for new and new constructions with an aim to reduce the embodied carbon footprint of
leased buildings the city’s real-estate portfolio 50% by 2030.
• Vancouver uses embodied carbon targets to progress towards its goal of
reducing the embodied emissions of its building stock 40% by 2030.
Early design carbon limits • Since 2018, Stockholm has required lifecycle carbon footprint declarations
for infrastructure projects for all large infrastructure projects.
Use of low carbon cement • In Zurich, low-carbon CEM III/B cement and at least 25% mixed demolition
and concrete aggregate is required in public construction city-wide since 2013.
• Oslo has incrementally increased ambition on concrete types for public
projects. A pilot specified use of 2nd generation concrete in the tender,
resulting in 70% CO2 e reduction.
• In Amsterdam, the use of low carbon cement and concrete is pilot-based
(e.g. pilot project ‘Rechtboomsloot’).
Require calculation of • In Trondheim, carbon calculations are required for large projects and
project carbon footprint reviewed in four phases of the construction project: (1) a reference building,
(2) design phase, (3) as built and (4) in use.
• In Amsterdam, builders are challenged to design and build a ‘green’
construction shed. Candidates have to make the whole-building carbon
calculation using DuboCalc (the national LCA tool) to prove their green
concept. For specific suitable projects the carbon footprint calculation is
used for tender criteria.
• Based on the Finnish Ministry of Environment’s guidance, Vantaa and
Helsinki are beginning to require carbon footprint calculations for public
works. Renovation, design and construction are performed following low
carbon emission criteria. This is controlled twice during the design process
via a LCA and carbon footprint calculation. In addition, a similar control is
performed during the construction process.
Require reducing • Oslo’s environmental criteria for construction works uses this criterion
transportation and/or weighted as 5% in public construction procurements to support their target
zero emission transport of that by 2025, all vehicles for transport of bulk materials to/from construction
bulk/ heavy materials to/
sites shall use zero-emission or biogas vehicles that meet the requirements
from and around the
construction site for Euro 6/V.
• Vienna held a competition for a 900-unit housing project with reduction of
67 % transport kilometers by restriction in procurement and logistics
management onsite.
• In Amsterdam, contractors of the buyer-supplier trust partnership use hubs
outside of the city centre to store materials. Heavy transport is needed to

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 supply these hubs, but smaller electric vehicles are used for transportation
of the materials to work sites within the city
Mandate assessment of • Vienna does this based on ÖNORM B 3151 “Dismantling of buildings as a
renovation vs knock-down standard method for demolition” and on EPDs (if available).
and rebuild comparison

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