How Consistent are the Environmental Data in Environmental Product Declarations of Concrete Products? Comparative Analysis of European Data Sources

Given the significant contribution of cement in global greenhouse gas emissions (7%) and its extensive use in the construction sector, reducing its associated emissions has becoming a pressing challenge. However, several challenges are detected to measure and include the environmental impacts, including the embodied carbon emissions, in a harmonised and comparable way. This study provides a detailed analysis of data and information contained Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for precast concrete products, examining the approaches used for calculating embodied carbon, focusing on methodological assumptions, including the type of reference unit adopted, as well as system boundaries, life cycle stages, and life cycle scenario assumptions. A comprehensive classification of concrete products and their embodied carbon was conducted out, revealing significant variations in carbon performance among similar products. The findings highlight the urgent need for harmonised standards to ensure comparability across industry-wide and effectiveness of emission reduction strategies.