This document discusses the environmental impact of timber lighting columns compared to metal columns through a lifecycle analysis. It describes how a lifecycle analysis quantifies the environmental impact of a product across raw material extraction, production, distribution, use, and end-of-life. The analysis generated environmental profiles for timber and metal lighting columns by assessing the impacts of each stage. It presents results in an eco-gauge graph showing timber columns have lower environmental impacts than equivalent metal columns across several impact categories like greenhouse gas emissions.

1. by
The Environmental Impact
of
Timber Lighting Columns
Environmental concerns and evaluation methods

2. E L E M E N T S O F S U S TA I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T
Environmental concerns
The Lifecycle Analysis (LCA)
Product Environmental Profile (PEP)
Eco-gauge

3. E N V I R O N M E N T A L C O N C E R N S
What are the principal phenomena that can be quantified?
:
Air pollution Water pollution
> greenhouse effect > poisoning of the water
> destruction of the ozone layer >eutrophication (mineral enrichment)
> creation of photochemical ozone of the water
> acidification of the air > water consumption
> poisons in the air
Production of hazardous waste
Production of waste
> exhaustion of natural resources
Consumption of resources > energy consumption

4. E L E M E N T S O F S U S TA I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T
Environmental concerns
The Lifecycle Analysis (LCA)
Product Environmental Profile (PEP)
Eco-gauge

5. W H AT I S T H E L I F E C Y C L E A N A LY S I S ?
A quantitative and standardised (ISO 14040, 44, 49) method for the evaluation
of potential environmental impacts associated with a product throughout
its lifecycle from the cradle to the grave.

6. T H E P O I N T O F L I F E C Y C L E A N A LY S I S …
Quantifying the environmental impact on one or several criteria :
The production of 1kg of steel
releases 2.7kg of CO2
RAW MATERIAL
PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION USE END-OF-LIFE
EXTRACTION
The production of 1kg of aluminium
releases 429.3kg of CO2
Quantifying pollution allows an objective comparison of a product or material
as measured against an indicator
Assessing indicators together avoids simply transferring pollution from one source to
another.

7. T H E P O I N T O F L I F E C Y C L E A N A LY S I S …
Multi stage & multi –criteria thinking :
Aluminium is a100% recyclable material,
with nearly 51% passing through recycling systems
RAW MATERIAL
PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION USE END-OF-LIFE
EXTRACTION
Bauxite is a non-renewable ore and turning it
into aluminium generates huge quantities of toxic waste
By considering the whole lifecycle it is possible to avoid
Consequences linked to another stage in the life of a product

8. L I F E C Y C L E A N A LY S I S O N L I G H T I N G C O L U M N S …
The energy consumption of a
Most of the energy consumed by
lighting column does not equate to a lighting column is linked to the
the whole of its environmental use phase which corresponds to
profile. the energy consumed by the
luminaire
RAW MATERIAL
PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION USE END-OF-LIFE
EXTRACTION
But the environmental profile of a lighting mast covers all pollution linked also to:
- the manufacture of the mast,
- transport and installation,
- energy consumed when in use.
- dealing with waste and reprocessing the materials which the luminaire is made of

9. E L E M E N T S O F S U S TA I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T
Environmental concerns
The Lifecycle Analysis (LCA)
Product Environmental Profile (PEP)
Eco-gauge

10. G E N E R AT I N G A N E N V I R O N M E N TA L P R O F I L E
Analysis of total inventory for each stage of a product‘s sourcing :
Felling the wood
and cutting into
planks
Road transport
Road
transport Processing and assembly in
France
Manufacture of the
metal base in France

11. C O M P U T E R M O D E L L I N G O N E I M E
Each element is then computed:
•Architecture générale du mât MOSHI détaillé
•Fenêtre d’arborescence du projet •Informations
•1. Embase du mât Moshi
•2. Fût Moshi en bois lamellé collé comprenant les
étapes de fabrication suivantes :
2.1 Fabrication du fût Moshi (usine Aubrilam)
2.2 Fabrication des poutres en lamellées collées
(en Allemagne)
2.3 Fabrication des planches (en Suède)
•1. Fabrication de l’Embase du mât Moshi
•Fenêtre
d’arborescence du •Module EIME •Informations
projet
•- Matière de l’embase (9.7 K’acier)
•- Procédé de fabrication de l’embase
- Traitement de surface appliqué à l’embase
(0.46 m²)
•- Transport en bateau (12600 km) de l’acier
depuis l’usine de sidérurgie Chinoise jusqu’en
France.
- Transport en camion (1200 km) du port
français jusqu’à l’usine de fabrication de
l’embase puis jusqu’à l’usine Aubrilam

12. THE PRODUCT ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE (PEP) - EXAMPLE
Product description:
•dimensions
•flexion resistance capacity
•material used
•norms
Environmental impacts:
Eco-gauge:

13. P E P G R A P H – S T E E L V s . T I M B E R
* The metal mast is by definition the conventional mast representing the use of steel and aluminium in the European public lighting market.

14. P E P T R A N S L A T I O N
1KW/h = 100g CO2
Production of a 5m timber pole =
70kg of CO2
=
70w lamp burning for 10 000h (approx. 2.5 years)
Using a wooden pole instead of an aluminium one allows a saving of
CO2
equivalent to a 70W lamp burning for 2.5 years!

15. E L E M E N T S O F S U S TA I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T
Environmental concerns
The Lifecycle Analysis (LCA)
Product Environmental Profile (PEP)
Eco-gauge

16. E C O - G A U G E C H A R T
In conformity with ISO norms 14020 relating to the general principles for environmental declarations, ISO 14025 relating to type III environmental declarations and IEC PAS
62545 relating to environmental information for electrical and electronic products, this document establishes a comparison of the environmental profiles for an Aubrilam mast and
a metal mast of equivalent strength.

17. E C O - G A U G E G R A P H

18. P E P C H A R T – 5 m C O L U M N S
Timber Steel

19. For more information please
visit:
www.woodhouse.co.uk/aubrilam