ISO 13315-1:2024

Overview

ISO 13315-1:2024 - Environmental management for concrete and concrete structures - Part 1: General principles provides a framework and basic rules for assessing and improving the environmental performance of concrete and concrete structures. It applies across entire lifecycles (design, production/execution, use and end-of-life), to newly produced and existing concretes and structures, and to single concretes, concrete families, single structures and structure complexes. The standard addresses global, regional and local environmental aspects and includes consideration of secondary effects (for example, potential leaching of heavy metals) and the economic and social implications of environmental measures.

Key Topics and Requirements

• Lifecycle approach: Guidance for environmental consideration across all lifecycle phases - design, production/execution, use, demolition, recycling and disposal.
• Assessment framework: Principles for identifying environmental impact categories, defining system boundaries and compiling inventory data for life cycle assessment (LCA).
• Analysis and indicators: Use of category indicators and inventory inputs to quantify environmental impacts and support improvement measures.
• Design & production guidance: Environmental design considerations and practices for concrete structures and concrete production, including reuse, recycling and waste management.
• End-of-life management: Rules for demolition, recovery, recycling and disposal with attention to secondary environmental effects.
• Labels and declarations: Framework for environmental labels, declarations and verification relevant to concrete products and structures.
• Scope and applicability: Applies to materials other than concrete by referencing relevant ISO standards where available; addresses local to global environmental effects.
• Limitations: Does not directly cover environmental impacts from operation of equipment installed in concrete structures, though it considers concrete properties that affect operational efficiency.

Practical Applications

• Who uses it: Owners, designers, concrete manufacturers, contractors, facility managers, certification bodies and standard developers.
• Use cases:
  • Integrating LCA-based environmental criteria into design and procurement of concrete structures.
  • Developing environmental product declarations (EPDs) and labels for concrete products and families.
  • Guiding recycling and demolition strategies to minimize environmental harm.
  • Informing sustainability assessments and corporate environmental management systems for construction projects.

Related Standards

• ISO 13315 series (Parts 2, 4, 6, 8) - expanded guidance on system boundaries, environmental design, use phase and labels/declarations.
• ISO 14040 / ISO 14044 - Life cycle assessment principles and requirements.
• ISO 14050 - Environmental management vocabulary.
• ISO 21930 / ISO 21931 - Environmental declarations and sustainability for construction products and works.

Keywords: ISO 13315-1:2024, environmental management for concrete, life cycle assessment, concrete structures, environmental impacts, sustainability, inventory data, system boundary, environmental labels.