Technical Specifications for Green Public Procurement
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Technical Specifications for Green Public Procurement Wall Panels Background Report Eurogypsum comments Report for the European Commission – DG Environment by AEA, Harwell, September 2008 Owner, Editor: European Commission, DG Environment-G2, B- 1049, Brussels. Disclaimer: The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to the information presented in this document. Technical Specifications for Green Public Procurement – Wall Panels Background Report Table of contents 1 Introduction 1 2 Abbreviations and Definitions 2 3 Definition, Scope and Background 3 3.1 Technologies 4 3.2 The Wall Panel Market 6 4 Key Environmental Impacts 8 4.1 Materials and Manufacture 8 4.2 Use Phase 14 4.3 Waste: Installation and End of Life 15 4.4 Summary 23 5 Cost Considerations 25 6 Relevant European Legislation and Policy 27 6.1 Construction Products Directive (CPD) 89/106/EEC 27 6.2 The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 2002/91/EC 29 6.3 REACH Regulation EC 1907/2006 30 6.4 The Classification, Packaging and Labelling of Dangerous Substances Directive 67/548/EEC 30 6.5 Management of Waste from Extractive Industries (MWEI) 2006/21/EC 30 6.6 Waste Framework Directive, 2006/12/EC 30 6.7 European Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC 31 6.8 Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EC 31 6.9 Future Legislation 31 7 Existing Ecolabels and Standards for Wall Panels 32 7.1 Ecolabels 32 7.2 Examples of Best Practice 35 8 Conclusion & Summary 39 9 Proposal for Core and Comprehensive Criteria 40 10 Information Sources 41 10.1 European Legislation 41 10.2 Ecolabels and Standards 41 10.3 Studies and Other Sources of Information 42 Appendix 1: Abridged and Summarised Ecolabel Details 43 ii Technical Specifications for Green Public Procurement – Wall Panels Background Report 1 Introduction Following on from previous work in developing GPP criteria for ten product groups, 1 a further ten products and sub-products have been identified for the development of GPP purchasing criteria to add to the European Commission’s GPP training Toolkit Module 3, which presents recommended GPP criteria for products and services. Wall panels have been identified as a product group for criteria development. This report provides background information on the environmental impact of wall coverings and outlines the key relevant European legislation affecting this product group. It then goes on to describe existing standards and ecolabels that cover this technology. Finally it outlines the rationale for the core and comprehensive environmental purchasing criteria that are being proposed. This report accompanies the associated Wall Panel Product Group Sheet that contains the proposed purchasing criteria and ancillary information for green tender specifications and as such they should be read alongside one another. The format for the purchasing recommendations comes in the form of two sets of criteria: The format for the purchasing recommendations relies on two sets of criteria: The core criteria applicable to the producer. They are designed to be used with minimum additional verification effort or cost increases. The comprehensive criteria include criteria applicable to the product once it is proven that it is fit for use in the works (system/building). 1 http://www.ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp 1 Technical Specifications for Green Public Procurement – Wall Panels Background Report 2 Abbreviations and Definitions COD Chemical Oxygen Demand CSA Canadian Standards Association EPBD Energy Performance of Buildings Directive EU European Union FGD Flue-gas desulfurisation FSC Forestry Stewardship Council GHG Greenhouse Gas (emissions) GPP Green Public Procurement IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer MDF Medium Density Fibreboard MDI Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate MS Member States OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development OSB Oriented Strand Board PACIA Plastics and Chemical Industry Association PEFC Pan European Forest Certification Council PMDI Polymeric Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate TOC Total Organic Content VOC Volatile Organic Compound WRAP Waste and Resource Action Programme The following terms are used in this report and as such are explained below. COD - Chemical Oxygen Demand: the equivalent mass of oxygen required to oxidise dissolved and suspended organic matter under defined conditions. Building envelope: The barrier between conditioned and unconditioned space, including all walls, floors, roofs, doors and windows. Post-Consumer: Material generated by households, or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users of the product, which can no longer be used for its intended purpose. Pre-Consumer: Material diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process. Gypsum: Calcium sulfate dihydrate CaSO 4.2H 2O. 2 Technical Specifications for Green Public Procurement – Wall Panels Background Report 3 Definition, Scope and Background Wall panels are large, rigid sheets used to finish or create (with a framing system) the walls of a building. 2 The primary function of a wall panel is to divide up space within a building into rooms and/or areas. In addition the transfer of heated or cooled air between areas should be minimised, as should noise transfer. Wall panels replace the more traditional building method of single width brick walls for internal division, usually coated with render, then plaster. The most common wall panel materials are wood fibre and gypsum. For the purpose of these green public procurement criteria it is proposed to focus on internal wall panel materials in buildings. Such a definition encompasses the following different ranges of products : 1. Gypsum Fibreboards; 2. Calcium silicate bricks; 3. Fibre-cement walls; 4. Veneer-based wood panels; 5. Autoclaved Aerated concrete wall panels; 6. Plastic wall board; 7. Plasterboard; 8. Wood panels. Wall panels will therefore be taken as the above categories of material used in vertical or angled placement (for example in loft conversions) in a building, where the panel itself is not load bearing and its surface is not the final surface seen in the finished building, i.e. it will be plastered, skimmed, painted, papered etc. Although previously common, asbestos is rarely used in modern plaster formulations because of its carcinogenic effects, and so will not be considered here. Setting Green Public Procurement criteria for construction products might be useful if the following requirements are fully taken into account: • The end-product is the building and therefore the product must be assessed in his function in the building according to the national building regulation, i.e. a construction product may be green but if it does not comply with fire regulations for the intended use, you risk the life of the occupants. You are then not in conformity with the third pillar of sustainability: social and safety aspects; • The construction products must be chosen according to the performances of the building project, i.e., in function of the acoustic performances described in the building project; • Then and only then, GPP criteria could be considered according to the two sets of criteria above-mentioned. For the purpose of GPP criteria for Wall Panels Products Group, wall panels are defined as boards that are used in vertical or angled placement (for example in loft conversions) in a building, where the panel itself is not load bearing and its surface is not the final surface seen in the finished building, i.e. the plastering, skimming, painting, etc. 2 Encyclopaedia Britannica, www.britannica.com , see wall panel. 3 Technical Specifications for Green Public Procurement – Wall Panels Background Report Technologies This section explains some of the detail behind the two main wall panel materials; gypsum plasterboard and wood panels. 3.1.1 Gypsum Plasterboard Panels Gypsum is a mineral, hydrous calcium sulfate, CaSO 4.2H 2O that has been extensively used for many applications over a long period of time. Traditionally the primary source of this material has been the excavation of natural deposits, which are extensive throughout many regions of the world. EU production of mined gypsum has increased in recent years, totalling around 25 million tonnes in 2004. 3 Spain is the most significant producer in Europe, followed by France and Germany. Together these countries produce over 10 million tones a year.4 The Eastern European plasterboard market is developing rapidly and with it their mining activities. Gypsum is a rock like mineral commonly found in the earth’s crust, extracted, processed and used by Man in construction or decoration in the form of plaster and alabaster since 9000 B.C.. Plaster was discovered in Catal-Huyuk in Asia in an underground fresco, and in Israel Gypsum floor screeds were found from 7000 B.C. During the time of the Pharaohs, Gypsum was used as mortar in the construction of the Cheops Pyramid (3000 B.C.). In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, decorations and artistic creations were made of plaster. Since then, the range of construction-related uses have continued to multiply. Gypsum can also: Be added to some bread and dough mixes as a Calcium source and baking aid. Be used as a filler and fire retardant in plastic products. Be used in Portland cement and special cement products for set and expansion control. Be a source of Calcium and Sulphate Sulphur for plant growth. Be used as a modelling material for tooth restorations. Be an ingredient in many patching compounds. Be used with glass to fabricate large, lightweight architectural decorations. Be used as a mould material to fabricate custom body parts for trucks and automobiles. Be an aid in juice extraction of some fruits and vegetables. When Gypsum ( CaSO4,2H2O) is ground to a powder and heated at 150° to 165° C, three-quarters of its combined water is removed producing hemi-hydrate plaster (CaSO4,1/2H2O), commonly known as the ‘Plaster of Paris’. When this powder is mixed with water the resulting paste sets hard as the water recombines to produce Gypsum again.