The reference document for the Construction sector
The sector
Construction activities are play a major role in the socio-economic development of a country, providing building and infrastructure on which all sectors of the economy depend, making construction a sector of high strategic importance. In the EU, the construction sector as a whole represents approximately 10% of GDP and is also the largest industrial employer (30% of industrial employment), with an estimated 3.1 million enterprises in 2007 and 14.8 million employees, including 19% self-employed staff. Construction is responsible for a large share of European environmental impact: the construction process generates a huge amount of waste, consumes more than 50% of European natural resources and can affect biodiversity and soil. The main construction product, the building, is responsible of more than 30% of the European carbon footprint and more than 40% of the primary energy consumption in Europe.
Structure of the Construction SRD
The structure of the EMAS reference document on best environmental management practice for the construction sector covers the whole value chain, from land planning at public level to the end-of-life stages of construction products (buildings or civil works). The relative influence of the design phase on the environmental impact of the whole life cycle is huge, especially in the use phase. Nevertheless, special emphasis will be made on construction processes, as defined by NACE codes (rev 2) F41 to F43, as they are not covered in detail in other EU guidelines. Regarding supply chain management, material production is not covered by the document as other tools have been already implemented, such as the Industrial Emissions Directive. Attention will focus on the use of recycled or reused materials, on the use of environmentally-friendly products and on the waste flows of the sector.
A background document was developed by DFIU (French-German Institute for Environmental Research) from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. This document constitutes the starting point for the development of the final draft. The document is divided in several chapters addressing best environmental management practice, sector specific indicators and benchmarks of excellence for:
- Land planning
- Building design
- Building construction and refurbishment
- Building operation and maintenance
- Building deconstruction
- Civil works
Work plan
- Development of Background Document: January 2010 – August 2010
- Contact with stakeholders and setting up the Technical Working Group (TWG): January 2011.
- Kickoff meeting of the TWG, Brussels, 30th March 2011.
- Development of the first draft of the SRD for the Construction sector, January 2011 – November 2011.
- Final Meeting of the TWG, Brussels, November 2011
- Final draft of the SRD for the Construction sector, December 2011.
Project Team
- Harald Schönberger, harald.schoenberger[at]ec.europa.eu
- David Styles, david.styles[at]ec.europa.eu
- José-Luis Gálvez jose-luis.galvez-martos[at]ec.europa.eu
Documents
Background Document, developed by DFIU (KIT)
Minutes of the Technical Working Group for the Reference Document on Best Environmental Management Practices in the Construction Sector
Presentation at United Nations Environmental Program – Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative
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