Updated Ecolabel guidelines for building products
In times of growing environmental awareness and increased commitment to sustainability, the selection of environmentally friendly building materials is of the utmost importance. In this context, the Austrian Ecolabel for construction products is a decisive orientation aid and becomes the basis for sustainable procurement programmes of the federal government (naBe) and the provinces of Vienna, Lower Austria and Vorarlberg.
Background to the revision
The Ecolabel Advisory Board has decided to standardise the period of validity of these Ecolabel guidelines, as it was extremely challenging for procurers in the construction sector to adapt to new or changed criteria every year due to the revisions of the guidelines. In 2023, all of the above-mentioned guidelines were therefore revised and republished from 1 January 2024.
The existing Ecolabel guidelines cover a wide range of construction products, from paints, wood-based materials and floor coverings to solar systems and thermal insulation composite systems (all guidelines and products here: https://www.umweltzeichen.at/de/produkte/bau)
Amended requirements
In particular, those requirements have been revised that regulate the use of potentially hazardous chemicals and thus reduce pollutant content and emissions into indoor air to a technically feasible minimum.
According to the amended requirements, manufacturers of eco-labelled insulation materials must publish product-specific life cycle assessment parameters on environmental impacts that occur over the entire life cycle of a product. These parameters are required for the calculation and optimisation of building life cycle assessments and include the following environmental impacts, among others:
- Global warming potential (GWP),
- Depletion potential of the stratospheric ozone layer (ODP),
- Acidification potential of soil and water (AP),
- eutrophication potential (EP),
- potential for the formation of tropospheric ozone (POCP) and
- Potential for depletion of abiotic resources of fossil and non-fossil nature
- Potential for water consumption
A limit value was also introduced for the global warming potential. The requirements for the use of wood from sustainable forestry were also revised and presented to the Ecolabel Advisory Board.
Decision of the Advisory Board on the revision
The Ecolabel Advisory Board approved all the contents of the revision with one exception. The opinions of the stakeholders on the new requirements for the use of wood from sustainable forestry still appeared too controversial to the members of the Ecolabel Advisory Board. There will therefore be a final stakeholder discussion on this topic in spring 2024 to reach a further consensus. The period of validity of those Ecolabel guidelines that have wood as a raw material has therefore been extended until 30 June 2024.
Newly published Ecolabel Guidelines
The revised Ecolabel guidelines for construction products have been published at https://www.umweltzeichen.at/de/produkte/bau and will help to further promote environmentally friendly construction products for a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly construction industry, particularly in the context of public procurement.