Résumé en anglais
Today, the application of the principles of sustainable development is spreading to different economic sectors and to construction in particular. In the area of housing, several new eco-labels are emerging. To meet this this demand, stone, an inherently natural material, has to scientifically prove its ecologic properties and should be objectively compared with other materials present on the market. It must be able to provide specifiers, architects and clients a detailed environmental assessment of each product and allow them to objectively compare the environmental values of each product and to guide them to design environmentally friendly works.For this purpose, the French environmental and health declaration form for construction products provides quantitative data coming from a Life Cycle Analysis (Analyse de Cycle de Vie : ACV) undertaken on the item, complete with sanitary information often resulting from specific trials. An ACV is an assessment of the environmental impacts of a system which comprises all of the activities associated with a product, from extraction of raw material to the elimination of waste.
For the first time in France, under the guidance of the Technical Centre for Natural Construction Materials (Centre Technique de Matériaux Naturels de Construction: CTMNC), the health and environmental declaration measure has been applied to natural stone products. The findings from an ACV undertaken on a solid limestone wall will be presented in this paper. The process has helped position stone as a positive environmental alternative to other building materials.
Autres résumés
À l’heure des chantiers HQE et des labellisations environnementales qui émergent de toute part, le CTMNC a ouvert le débat sur l’évaluation environnementale des produits en pierre naturelle, notamment celle d’un mur massif maçonné en pierre de Noyant. Le CTMNC a cherché à déterminer les impacts environnementaux, comme les flux de matières et d’énergies, à chaque étape du cycle de vie du produit : à la production, au transport, à la mise en oeuvre, à la vie en oeuvre et à la fin de vie. Les résultats de cette étude sont présentés dans cet article.