| Abstract | The construction sector plays a central role in Canada’s Emissions Reduction Plan, which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 2005 to 2030. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) offers a comprehensive method for evaluating the environmental impacts of buildings, including material extraction, construction, operation, and demolition. A key source of uncertainty in LCAs is the Reference Service Life (RSL) of building materials, particularly non-structural components, whose durability is often less well-documented than that of structural ones.
This study is intended to emphasize the need for a reliable RSL dataset of non-structural building envelope materials. The approach involved includes: (1) compiling survey-based and experimentally derived service life data as obtained from the literature; (2) extracting all available RSL values from Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for non-structural building envelope materials available in North America, and; (3) organizing the findings into a detailed dataset and analyzing the data to identify existing inconsistencies and knowledge gaps.
The findings from this study indicate that nearly half of the EPDs reviewed entirely ignore mentioning the RSL values for non-structural building envelope products, thereby providing no basis for informed life cycle analysis. Among those that do include an RSL, many rely on the default to a 75-year building lifespan, often following standard assumptions, without any evidence or justification. The remaining information present widely differing values for identical products. Such variability leads to fragmented and inconsistent information, which reduces the reliability of LCAs.
The results highlight the urgent need for more standardized and transparent RSL reporting in EPDs, particularly for non-structural components. Improved datasets will enable more accurate environmental impact assessments, better inform material selection, and ultimately support Canada’s broader climate goals. |
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