oa Sustainability aspects of constructions based on clay roof tiles and bricks

The presentation at the QGBC Conference 2016 will focus on the importance that the Belgian clay roof tile and brick sector attaches to sustainability aspects that are related to their business and products, and focuses on a recently performed LCA (life cycle assessment) and EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) project. This project is part of a broader platform, where the three pillars of sustainability finally meet each other. During the presentation at the QGBC Conference 2016, first, I will present the incentives of the sector to apply the concept of life-cycle thinking to modern business practices, with the aim to manage the total life cycle of their products and services towards a more sustainable construction and housing. Then, I will focus on the results of the LCA in which four clay products are analysed from the cradle to the grave: clay roof tiles, traditional clay blocks, newly developed clay blocks and facing bricks. The results have been summarised in EPDs. Additional comparative studies have also been carried out to benchmark the clay products versus main competing materials, at the building element level, i.e. roofs and walls. Special emphasis will be given during the presentation to the importance of LCA for the clay sector, the sector approach, the procedures for data collection, the importance of stakeholder involvement, the results of the LCAs and the comparative assessment.