Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Impacts of Building Materials: Evaluating Transport-Related Factors
Adriana Eštoková, Martina Fabianová, Marek Radačovský
Abstract
The construction industry plays a significant role in resource consumption and environmental degradation, making it crucial to analyze the sustainability aspects of construction materials and their transportation processes. This paper focuses on conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis of building materials, specifically considering the environmental impacts associated with their transportation to construction sites. By incorporating the transport phase into the assessment, a more holistic understanding of the environmental implications of construction materials can be achieved. The study aims to quantify the environmental burdens of both material production and transportation, providing valuable insights for sustainable decision making in the construction industry. The analysis revealed that transport of building materials for the studied house by diesel lorry, covering a distance of 150 km, contributed 16% to climate change and a significant 53.5% to abiotic resource depletion. Additionally, it had a 15–18% impact on acidification and photo-oxidant formation.