Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in building materials industry

Abstract

Environmental issues are becoming more relevant nowadays. The industry is developing and this leads to intensive consumption of natural resources. This fact should make manufacturers think about optimization of the production. The knowledge of life cycle of products to be produced may help to optimize different stages of production. The life cycle assessment (LCA) is a useful tool to reveal information about products in many fields of human activity, and, specifically, in building materials industry. When life-cycle data is available, there appears an opportunity to make relevant changes in the way of extraction, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of products, and, in the end, disposal, recycling or reuse. The paper is concerned with the theoretical aspects of life cycle assessment application in industry of building materials and provides general information on what the LCA is, its origin and development, and possibilities for application.