The growth of DAPs based on the norm EN 15804 does not stop growing from the year 2011 as it can be seen in the attached graphic of ConstructionLCA ©
Below are five key aspects that can justify this increase in DAPs:
- Legal regulation - In Europe a series of legislation is appearing that obliges us to use environmental declarations of products -DAP-, registered in the national programs to have guarantees to avoid possible environmental complaints about construction products. In France it started in 2012 and is mandatory since July 2017. Belgium is in 2015. French legislation has led to a significant increase in the number of DAPs in this country that is now more than 3000 DAPs.
- The purchase of products - The DAP is quoted in the Italian green public procurement legislation to provide evidence of the content of recycled material, since the minimum values are set at the building level. In California they are used in certain key products (steel, insulation, plaster).
- Environmental certification of buildings: European environmental certifications BREEAM (UK, NO, ES), HQE (FR), VERDE (ES), ITACA (IT), HPI (IE) and IBO Ökopass (AU) offer credits to use products with DAP. Outside Europe, the label LEED (USA), Greenstar (AUS / NZ) and GRIHA (IN) also offer credits to use DAP products. In the United States, DAP credit on the LEED label has boosted the growth of UL Environment EPD by about 1000 of the 170 that it had in 2014.
- ACV of the building: most of the environmental certification systems of buildings provide credits to perform a LCA of the building. The new public buildings in Germany must carry out a LCA of the building as part of their score. In the Netherlands, it is mandatory for all new homes and office projects of more than 100 m2. In France, the LCA of the building has begun to require the new buildings along with requirements to reduce the operational energy and increase the integrated generation of renewable energies. The use of the DAP in the Analysis of the Life Cycle of the buildings allows to obtain a saving from the selection of products with a lower environmental impact at the level of building. The digitization of DAPs also means that it is easier to ensure that the verified data of the products are available for those who carry out the analysis of the life cycle of the building within the tools and especially those that are linked to BIM.
- Reports: Large real estate developers and contractors are increasingly pressured to report their emissions of greenhouse gases and to reduce their emissions.
