ASTM_E_1991_-_98.pdf

Designation:E 1991 98An American National StandardStandard Guide forEnvironmental Life Cycle Assessment of Building Materials/Products1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1991;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon(e)indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.INTRODUCTIONThis is a general guide for the application of environmental Life Cycle Assessment(LCA)as a toolfor evaluating the environmental aspects of materials/products,processes,and services produced andused in buildings and the built environment.This guide does not include,necessarily,all of theenvironmental features and impacts of the complete building life cycle,but focuses on those issuesdirectly related to building materials/products and those elements of the buildings environmentalperformance affected by these materials/products.Fig.1 illustrates the total life cycle of a building.Fig.2 is an example of the relationship between the life cycle processes of building materials/productsand the total life cycle of a building and illustrates how these product/material life cycle processesmerge with the total building life cycle.Fig.3 illustrates an example of the life cycle of a buildingconstruction material within the context of the total building life cycle.1.Scope1.1 This guide presents a common framework and set ofprinciples for potential users,such as product manufacturers,environmental analysts,consultants,architects,and the build-ing industry in general.It describes a framework for life cycleinventory analysis,and describes various options and aspectsof Impact Assessment and Interpretation.1.2 The complexity and level of detail of an LCA will varygreatly depending on the material/product or system studied,the purpose and use of the study,the intended users of thestudy,and the resources committed to complete the study.Thelevel of detail can range from generic to material/productspecific.1.3 This guide does not describe in detail the actual tech-niques for performing a Life Cycle Assessment.1.4 Life Cycle Assessment is an emerging methodology,which is still evolving.This guide will present its concepts andmajor features.It should enable the user to better understandLife Cycle Assessment and its application to buildingmaterials/products,and help to identify sources of additionalinformation and guidance.LCA is only one of many toolsdesigned to aid in environmental evaluation and decisionmaking.1.5 The component phases of Life Cycle Assessment,in-cluding goal definition and scoping,inventory,impact assess-ment,interpretation,and the various methodologies used inthese phases are in various stages of development.Conse-quently,the results of an LCA must be understood in thecontext of their completeness and accuracy and must beapplied appropriately.LCA does not necessarily proceed as alinear process through these phases but is conducted in aniterative fashion.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:E 1765 Practice for Applying the Analytical Hierarchy Pro-cess(AHP)to Multiattribute Decision Analysis of Invest-ments Related to Buildings and Building Systems23.Terminology3.1 Definitions for most of the LCA terms and languageused in this guide can be found in Refs.(1-7).3Terms specificto this guide are as follows:3.1.1 standarda document that has been developed andestablished within the consensus principles of the Society andthat meets the approval requirements of ASTM procedures andregulation.1This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E06 onPerformance of Buildings and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E06.71on Sustainability.Current edition approved Nov.10,1998.Published January 1999.2Annual Book of ASTM Standards,Vol 04.11.3The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to the list of references at the end ofthis standard.1Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959,United States.3.1.2 guidea compendium of information or series ofoptions that does not recommend a specific course of action.3.1.3 practicea definitive set of instructions for perform-ing one or more specific operations that does not produce a testresult.3.2 Definitions of terms in Fig.1,Fig.2,and Fig.3:3.2.1 building,nthe complete,outfitted,and furnishedstructure,operational in every way and ready for occupancyand use.3.2.2 building material/product,na manufactured or pro-duced unit or component that goes into any of the building lifecycle processes.In the text of this guide,this term is used in abroad context and is meant to include fundamental constructionmaterial,for example,stone,as well as manufactured products,such as,windows,roofing,HVAC and electrical systems,interior furnishings,maintenance products,etc.,used through-out the total building life cycle.3.2.3 construction,nthe comp