• Return to Application Building
• Latest news
• Publications
• Energy efficiency & BUILD UP
• Recycling
• >> EPD programme
• >> Updated EPD programme

New EAA EPD programme according to EN15804

Recently, the EAA programme rules and the products category rules (PCR) have been updated in order to be aligned with the requirements of the new European standards EN 15804 “Sustainability of construction works. Environmental product declarations. Core rules for the product category of construction products”. As required by ISI14025, this update has been reviewed by an external review panel.

The new EAA programme rules define more precisely the organisation and the functioning of the PCR review panel. More precise rules for the verification of an EPD software are also defined.

The new Product category rules have been aligned to the EN15804 requirements. Additional rules mainly address:

- The procedure related to the verification of an EPD software (instead of a static EPD);
- The provision of consolidated EPDs developed in the frame of a building project, i.e. EPD calculated for a set of building products and not for a single building product; and
- The compulsory provision of scenario and data for the end of life stage, including the additional benefits of end of life recycling as reported in the so-called “Module D”.

Finally, the review statement reports the details of the reviewing procedure performed by the external review panel.

A new EPD software is currently under development in order to develop EPD in accordance to these new PCR document.

Sustainability Development Indicators (SDIs)

2011 was a year marked by a key event: the launch in the European Parliament of the 2010 report on sustainable development indicators (SDIs) entitled Sustainability of the European Aluminium Industry 2010.

The event, Aluminium’s Performance Towards a Sustainable Europe, was hosted by UK MEP Martin Callanan, who was there to present the report. This document outlines the significant contribution made by the aluminium industry to sustainability in the EU thanks to the material’s unique properties, such as light weight, ductility, durability and conductivity, and presents data from both SMEs and large integrated companies within the sector, employing a total of 255,000 people across Europe. Callanan opened the discussion with the words “I strongly encourage sustainability reporting and the aluminium industry has much to offer when it comes to sustainability, making a key contribution towards achieving the EU’s 20-20-20 objectives.”

EAA environment, health and safety manager Sandro Starita said that over 30 SDIs had been identified for the production of aluminium and that the scope of the 2010 report had been enlarged to include main uses and applications. He then outlined some of the key findings of the report. In terms of GHGs, emissions of CO2 per tonne of primary aluminium were down by almost 50% since 1997, with perfluorocarbon (PFC) emissions reduced by 90% since 1990. Moreover, 48% of the energy required to produce primary aluminium was coming from renewable sources. Starita underlined the fact that Europe is a world leader in the area of recycled aluminium, producing 3.5 million tonnes of the metal through recycling activities. Of the aluminium produced in Europe, 48% is from recycled sources, while four million tonnes (11% of global production) comes from primary sources.

UK MEP Martin Callanan

Aluminium in electric vehicles

Electrification of vehicles is of increasing interest to both policy makers and automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). However, the development of electric cars is hampered by the high cost of battery systems relative to the power and autonomy they can deliver. A preferable way to decrease the required battery capacity of a fully electric vehicle is to reduce its dead weight. A study co-funded by EAA/AFFG, EAA Automotive and Transport and the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) developed models to assess cost savings for battery systems and those made during the use phase with lightweight aluminium designs. The results should be available during the first quarter of 2012.

Energy performance of buildings: renovation case studies

Aiming to determine the contribution of aluminium building products to the upgrade of energy performance of existing buildings, three renovation cases were studied in 2011, identifying CO2 payback periods in the range of one to four years. The buildings were located in Zeist (NL), Dekendorf (D) and Thessaloniki (GR). Further cases are set to be investigated in 2012.

Other projects are ongoing and will yield results in the course of 2012. Documentation of these cases will therefore be postponed until the 2012 activity report and will appear together with other 2012 projects.

Sustainability Development Indicators (SDIs)

As announced, the 2010 edition will for the very first time include SDIs for the use phase. This set of results shows important positive trends, despite the severe impact that the recent economic crisis had on our industry.

It demonstrates that it is essentially during the use phase that aluminium reveals its impressive credentials in terms of sustainability parameters.

Various sectors, including automotive and transport, building, and packaging, are all able to take advantage of the outstanding properties of aluminium, such as light weight, high reflectivity, tremendous flexibility, and great efficiency in protecting goods and preventing food spoilage. The 2010 SDI report was launched in the European Parliament at the beginning of 2011 with the sponsoring of MEP Callanan (see 2011 for more details).

100 years anniversary of aluminium foil

The Museum Night

Second European Aluminium in Renovation Award

On 18 November, 2009, Isabelle Durant, vice-president of the European Parliament and co-president of Belgium’s green party Ecolo, presented the prizes of the 2nd European Aluminium in Renovation Award (2009) at the European Parliament’s Brussels headquarters. It was highly symbolic that such an event was being held on the very day and in the very place where, a few hours earlier, the European Parliament, Council and Commission had announced their agreement on Europe’s next directive on the energy performance of buildings.

This legislation is hailed as the most ambitious effort to date aimed at reducing Europe’s energy consumption and cutting its CO2 emissions. The European Aluminium Association was proud to contribute to the success of the day, showcasing no less than 8 award- and prize-winning renovation projects selected from among 130 candidates from 15 EU countries. All illustrated how well aluminium meets the needs of state-of-the-art, energy-efficient and sustainable renovation demands and plays a crucial role in preserving and improving Europe’s building stock.

Click here for more information about the Aluminium Award

Re-edition of the booklet “Aluminium light at heart”:

Sustainability development indicators (SDI’s)

The EAA has so far published two sustainability reports on the European aluminium industry, based on a number of environmental, economic and social indicators selected with the help of leading European institutions with a focus on sustainability. The reports were deservedly praised by stakeholders as an important initiative in sustainability discussions and showed the aluminium industry to be at the forefront of this issue. At the same time, they made us realise we need to take this one step further, extending the indicators and report to include more on the use of aluminium and its potential impacts and benefits during this phase of the aluminium life cycle.

In 2008 the EAA has worked with consultants in the field to develop further indicators to characterise aluminium performance in the use phase, focusing on its key use sectors. We conducted a workshop with various experts for a first review of the selected indicators and are planning a further presentation to a broader group of stakeholders in early 2010, before including them in the next sustainability report to be issued end of 2010 (see also AFFG 2010 Projects).

Click here to read more about SDI’s

A number of projects were launched, two of which were scheduled to extend over 2008 and 2009 (even 2010 for the SDI’s one):

Sustainable Development Indicators for aluminium

Back in 2002, EAA and its member companies embarked upon a pioneering exercise: measuring sustainability. A list of more than 30 measurable sustainable development indicators (SDIs) was drawn up to be systematically tracked and transparently reported by the European aluminium industry. Within the framework of the “Sustainable Development Indicator s (SDI s) for Aluminium” project, the most important product categories of each major aluminium application (packaging, building and transport) were identified. Assessment of existing and upcoming standards and applicable legislation helped to identify new SDIs for the use phase, consistent with those already covering the production phase. The second part of the project was initiated in cooperation with the Wuppertal Institute, aimed at developing new indicators with the help of experts and stakeholders. The project developed over 2/3 years (see also 2009 & 2010).

Click here see all the results and reports about SDI’s

Second European Aluminium in Renovation Award

Specifically dedicated to building applications, the “2nd European Aluminium in Renovation Award” was launched in November 2008. With a focus on energy efficiency, this competition was conducted through a series of eight regional contests sponsored by the AFFG programme. Awards were distributed in 2009.

For more information, please visit: http://www.aluminium-award.eu/

The Hungarian Eiffel Tower The design, construction and international showcasing of a model of the Eiffel Tower, fully clad with aluminium recovered from used beverage cans. This grand achievement of volunteer work, in partnership with the Hungarian Packaging Waste Organisation (ÖKO-PANNON) and the Technical University of Budapest, epitomises the commitment of the youth to recycling. The tower, unveiled in September in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, in the presence of Hungarian Member of the European Parliament Edit Herczog, was then exhibited at the main entrance of the Aluminium World Trade Fair in Essen, Germany.