Environmental impacts Impact category / IndicatorĬlimate change – total, fossil, biogenic and land use This resulted in quite some other changes. Good to note: last year the EN15804 standard was updated to EN15804 + A2 (2019).

However, EN15804 +A2 gives a good general overview. Other impact assessment methods (such as the PEF 3.0) exist as well, which use slightly different categories. Below them, you will find Table 2-4 which includes additional parameters and indicators you have to report on for the use of resources, waste types and output flows of materials & energy.īoth the 15 categories and the parameters & indicators are all taken from the EN15804 (A1+A2) standard for LCA’s in the construction sector. Table 1 gives you an overview of the 15 environmental impact categories, which unit they are measured in, and what they describe. They group complex data into accessible numbers – numbers that give a concrete picture of what the impact actually is. Impact categories can serve a similar function. You are probably familiar with the concept of Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs, that measure the success of a business. An impact category makes it possible to come to a single metric for climate change. Such as methane (CH₄), or laughing gas (N₂O).īy expressing these other GHG emissions with different measuring units in kg CO₂ equivalents. However, other greenhouse gas emissions than carbon emissions (CO₂) cause climate change as well. Meaning: different emissions that cause the same impact- are converted into one unit that translates into one impact category.įor example, the impact category ‘climate change’ is expressed in kg CO₂ equivalents (kg CO₂-eq). During the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) of an LCA, we try to unite these different emissions into actionable numbers.

This is where impact categories come into place. These emissions come in different shapes and formats since the emissions from harvesting raw materials are very different from the emissions from producing electricity.

Quick recap: Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA)Ī Life Cycle Assessment (short LCA) is the standardized method of calculating the impact of, for example, a product on the environment.ĭuring the course of the LCA, a large amount of emission data is collected: emissions from energy production, the waste produced, the raw material production, etc. However, to fully understand impact categories, we need to have a basic understanding of Life Cycle Assessments. Definition: What are impact categories in LCA?Īn impact category groups different emissions into one effect on the environment.

Environmental impact on global warming