BSEE


BULLETIN 5: APPLYING YOUR KNOWLEDGE


This is the fih arcle in a series of six by the Brish Plascs Federaon Pipes Group.


he most effective way for building specifiers and engineers to accurately apply their knowledge of environmental product declarations (EPDs) is to understand the bigger picture; ie. the associated jargon, methods, life cycle stages and environmental commitments, highlighted in our earlier Environmental Bulletins. If you missed any, you can catch up either through previous BSEE issues or direct from our website (link below).


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The four plastic piping systems used for hot and cold water applications are: cross-linked polyethylene (PE-X), polypropylene random copolymer (PP-R), polybutene (PB) and polymer/aluminium/polymer multilayer composite pipes. Their overall environmental credentials are covered in previous bulletins to give you the information you require. This bulletin presents real values calculated for a complete plastic piping system, compares them to other materials and puts them into context within the overall building’s impact.


We have described how the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a fair and consistent means of presenting the life cycle assessment (LCA) of a product and how it can be used by the building designer to enhance long-term sustainability in construction. If we look at the figures, we can see how small incremental changes to product choices can contribute to this sustainability.


BELOW:The first graph shown illustrates the average and maximum impacts in the seven impact categories


The first graph shown illustrates the average and maximum impacts in the seven impact categories (see Bulletin 3 for details of these) for the four plastic piping materials and for copper pipe using 26% recycled material and 80% recycled material. The highest impact is shown as 100% and for all categories recycled copper pipe has the highest impact. Plastic pipes actually make a very small contribution to the environmental impact of a building such as a house compared to other materials but make a massive contribution to the success of construction projects overall.


ABOVE: The second graph compares the impact of one aerated concrete block with the enre plasc piping for a 100m2 apartment


The second graph compares the impact of one aerated concrete block with the entire plastic piping for a 100m2 apartment. Both have EPDs independently verified. Scaled up, for a typical family home with an 8m x 8m footprint, the Global Warming Potential is: • 6834 kgCO2e for brick walls; • 4186 kgCO2e for ready-mixed concrete floors; • 6376 kgCO2e for hollow core concrete floors; • 1 kgCO2e for the plastic piping system.


There is encouraging information in our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint: 95 per cent of piping used in the hot and cold domestic environment is already plastic – and we have demonstrated its environmental impact is very low compared to other materials used for building. So, in asking why people are choosing this material, we should again look at the figures as we all want to achieve the best environmental solution going forward. Comparative LCAs for hot and cold water supply in buildings with traditional copper piping systems clearly demonstrate that plastic piping systems – with their excellent and long-lasting technical performance – are the best environmental choice.


Next bulletin: Making Choices; how to make effective choices to minimise the environmental impact of a building, with the full understanding of EPDs and LCAs.


More detail on this subject and previous Environmental Bulletins can be found at: www.bpfpipesgroup.com/sustainability-and-the-circular-economy/overview/


8 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JUNE 2020 Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


INDUSTRY COMMENT- BPF


Evaluating the Environmental Impacts of Product Choice for hot and cold water supply in buildings


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