Ecodesign for building materials and building construction

Since the end of the 1980s, concepts such as ‘ustainable construction’ and ‘integrated cycle management’ have become widespread. Within the Dutch situation, target groups like the construction industry play an important role in the implementation of environmental policy formulated by the government. The Dutch government has drawn up a number of policy documents, like the National Environmental Policy Plan (NEPP) 1, the NEPP 1 Plus, and the NEPP 2. Those documents state that a number of environmental objectives must be converted into a concrete set of tasks for the construction industry. This industry was chosen since it uses the largest amount of materials and secondary materials, and produces the highest amount of waste per kilogram of material applied. The tasks set for the building sector are: To introduce the idea of integrated chain management.To strive towards increasing the quality of building products and building processes.To implement the sustainability principle.To promote energy diversification.