The document discusses the varying progress of EU member states towards sustainability, highlighting that while intentions exist, there is a lack of unified direction and effective common effort. It emphasizes the need for simplification of information, better coordination among regulations, and additional resources to enhance sustainability practices. Despite shared principles of sustainability, discrepancies in implementation and specific data requirements hinder coherent progress across member states.

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Organizedby:
Promotedby:
Withtheparticipationof:
Weare movingforward!
Butare theEU-MemberStatesmovingin thesamedirection?
EuropeanSustainabilityConsulting, theNetherlands
Chris Hamans
Introduction

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are EU-Member States moving in the same direction?
Sustainability

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Frontrunners
in industry and member states
Industry
• Meanwhile thousands of
Environmental Product Declarations;
EPD’s
• In the construction sector:
EPD applied in marketing, databases,
building assessments
Policies and Regulations
in EU-Member States
• Assigned methodologies and tools
• Demands for data use, data bases
• Pre-defined scenarios

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Many public and private initiativesrelated to sustainability
European Commission: Communications, White Papers, Directives, Regulations
•DG ENTERPRISE
•DG ENVIRONMENT
•DG ENERGY
•DG RESEARCH
•…………

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Many public and private initiativesrelated to sustainability
European Commission: Communications, White Papers, Directives, Regulations
EU Member States
•All very ambitious ……………
•Political pressure without realising the impact and burden?
•……………………
•4 speakers give us some indications !

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Many public and private initiativesrelated to sustainability
European Commission: Communications, White Papers, Directives, Regulations
EU Member States
•4 speakers give us some indications !
Private tools and Rating Schemes
•Marketing and sales interest
•Different objectives
•Different preferences, priorities by rating

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Many public and private initiatives
European Commission
•Too many initiatives ?
•Too theoretical ?
•Overlapping and non-coordinated
•Desperate attempts to make “one size fits all”:
construction products are intermediateproducts
the works arethe end-useproduct
SUSTAIN-OBESE
TOO FAST? TOO MANY? TOO MUCH?

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Sustainability is NOT achieved by piling up “green products” to a building
EuroCodes
8
ECO
SOC
ECON
Technical Design
FunctionalDesign
Sustainability
A prerequisite for sustainability are the first 6Basic Requirements for Construction Works
•without meeting the functional needs there is no sustainability
•without meeting the technical needs there is no sustainability
CPR305/2011

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Standards
• Sustainability = methodology + communication
• Communication of performances into
the building chain
• a harmonised approach:
ISO - CEN

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SUSTAINABILITY: are we moving in the same direction?
from the introductions of the speakers, ask to your self:
•Are we moving in the same direction?
•Should it necessarily be the same direction?
•Will we movewhen receiving differentinstructions?
•Do we need moreinstructions?
•Do we need instructionsanyway?
•Will we move when receiving too much instructions?
•Are we creating barrierswhen moving in different directions?
•Are we creating barrierswhen moving at different speed?

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Introductions to the discussionare we moving in the same direction?
1.GonçaloAscensãoCEN-CENELEC , European Standards Institute
“Policies and Rules of the European Commission and the role of CEN-Standards”
2.ErlingTrudsoeDanishStandardisationDS“TheNordicregionas a standard maker”
3.TanjaBrockmannGerman Federal MinistryfortheEnvironment, NatureConservation, Buildingand Nuclear Safety (BMUB) “Role of BuildingProductswithintheGerman AssessmentSystemforSustainableConstruction”
4.Dieter de LathauwerBelgium; Federal Public Service Health; DG5; Environment and Product Policy. Brussels. “Policies and Plans for implementing sustainability in the Belgian build environment”

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CONCLUSIONS of presenters and audience
Question: We are moving (towards more sustainability). But are EU-Member States moving in the same direction?
Session 111 concluded with an answer to the question above: NO, WE ARE NOT MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION!
•The intentions are there but there is no real common effort. We should prioritiseand focus on core information (not too scientific) and make it user friendly to apply. Simplification but no limitation.
•There are barriers with the regulators that require a common roadmap and need additional resource capacity. There is a willingness to harmoniseregulations but guidance, manpower and some financial resources should be made available for this task.
•Common principles are widely accepted in all member states and by all member states (LCA based approach and use of EN15804 and EN15978) but specific elements (eg. background data, databases) need to be lined up.