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EN15804 impact categories

The EN15804+A2 impact method is used when developing Type III environmental declaration (EPD) of construction products.

Updated this week

Core environmental indicators (adapted from EF3.1)

Impact category

Abbreviation

Climate change - total

GWP-total

Climate change - fossil

GWP-fossil

Climate change - biogenic

GWP-biogenic

Climate change - land use and land use change

GWP-luluc

Ozone depletion

ODP

Acidification

AP

Eutrophication aquatic freshwater (1)

EP-freshwater

Eutrophication aquatic marine (1)

EP-marine

Eutrophication terrestrial

EP-terrestrial

Photochemical ozone formation

POCP

Depletion of abiotic resources - minerals and metals (1)

ADPm

Depletion of abiotic resources - fossil fuels (1)

ADPf

Water use (1)

WDP

Additional environmental impact indicators (adapted from EF3.1)

Impact category

Abbreviation

Particulate matter emissions

PM

Ionizing radiation, human health (2)

IRP

Eco-toxicity (freshwater) (1)

ETP-fw

Human toxicity, cancer effects (1)

HTP-c

Human toxicity, non-cancer effects (1)

HTP-nc

Land use related impacts/soil quality (1)

SQP

Disclaimers for reporting purposes according to the EN15804 standard to core and additional environmental impact indicators. (Section 7.2.3.3)

  1. The results of this environmental impact indicator shall be used with care as the uncertainties on these results are high or as there is limited experience with the indicator.

  2. This impact category deals mainly with the eventual impact of low dose ionizing radiation on human health of the nuclear fuel cycle. It does not consider effects due to possible nuclear accidents, occupational exposure nor due to radioactive waste disposal in underground facilities. Potential ionizing radiation from the soil, from radon and from some construction materials is also not measured by this indicator.

Indicators describing resource use and environmental information based on LCI

The following non-LCI EN15804 categories are also available. Note: many of these categories require manual tracking. You can see more information about manual tracking of categories here.

Table 1: Indicators describing resource use

Indicator

Unit

Abr.

Implementation

Total use of renewable primary energy resources (primary energy and primary energy resources used as raw materials)

MJ

PERT

Sum of all "Renewable, ..." indicators from the Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) method.

Use of renewable primary energy excluding renewable primary energy resources used as raw materials

MJ

PERE

The result of PERT - PERM

Use of renewable primary energy resources used as raw materials

MJ

PERM

Tracked by adding the following exchange to processes: Energy content in materials @ input/renewable.

Total use of non-renewable primary energy resources (primary energy and primary energy resources used as raw materials)

MJ

PENRT

Calculated by addition of 'Non-renewable, fossil' and 'Non-renewable, nuclear' indicators from the Cumulative Energy Demand.

Use of non-renewable primary energy excluding non- renewable primary energy resources used as raw materials

MJ

PENRE

The result of PENRT - PENRM

Use of non-renewable primary energy resources used as raw materials

MJ

PENRM

Tracked by adding the following exchange to processes: Energy content in materials @ input/renewable.

Net use of fresh water

m3

FW

Water use (from ReCipe2016 midpoint/H) used as proxy, with moderate assumptions

Table 2: Environmental information describing waste categories:

Indicator

Unit

Abr.

Implementation

Hazardous waste disposed

kg

HWD

Based on EDIP2003 waste categories (only available in ecoinvent processes)

Non-hazardous waste disposed

kg

NHWD

Based on EDIP2003 waste categories

(only available in ecoinvent processes)

Radioactive waste disposed

kg

RWD

Based on EDIP2003 (only available in ecoinvent processes)

Table 3: Environmental information describing output flows:

Indicator

Unit

Abr.

Implementation

Output flow information: Components for re-use - CRU

kg

CRU

Materials @ output/for re-use

Output flow information: Materials for recycling - MFR

kg

MFR

Materials @ output/for re-use

Output flow information: Materials for energy recovery - MER

kg

MER

Materials @ output/for recycling

Output flow information: Components for re-use - CRU

kg

CRU

Materials @ output/for re-use

Output flow information: Materials for recycling - MFR

kg

MFR

Materials @ output/for recycling

Output flow information: Materials for energy recovery - MER

kg

MER

Materials @ output/for energy recovery

Output flow information: Exported energy (electricity) - EEE

MJ

EEE

Electricity @ output/exported energy

Output flow information: Exported energy (thermal) - EET

MJ

EET

Heat @ output/exported energy

Difference between EF3.1 and EN15804 in the core and additional environmental impact indicators

The EF3.1 and EN15804 methods are similar in almost everything, except that

  • in the EN15804, the characterization factors for Carbon dioxide, biogenic are +1 for emissions, -1 for resources (in EF3.1 these are both zeroed).

  • In the EN15804, Methane, biogenic emissions contribute with 29.8 to Climate change, instead of 27 in EF3.1.

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