Introduction To The Environmental Impact Of Construction And Building Materials

Earth's natural resources are finite and face increasing human pressure. Over the last few decades, concern has been growing about resource efficiency and the environmental impact of material consumption. The construction industry is responsible for the consumption of a relevant part of all produced materials, however, only recently has this industry started to worry about its environmental impacts. This chapter highlights relevant landmarks on sustainable development, materials efficiency and on the assessment of the environmental impact of construction products. An overview on the European Construction Products Regulation (CPR) enforced since the 1 July 2013 is given followed by an outline of the book.