Environmental profiling comparisons

Environmental profiling is a tool developed by BRE to assist in comparing the environmental impact of different building elements over a range of issues. This process is helpful in enabling specifiers compare the environmental impacts of different building elements made from a variety of materials.

In turn this information is used to give product or material guidance in the Green Guide to Specification also developed by BRE.

The examples shown in tables 1 and 2 demonstrate how wood products score well in comparison with other building elements in almost all areas, from climate change, pollution to air and water, mineral and water extraction and waste disposal.

Examples - BRE Environmental Profiles

Characterised data – 1 square metre of element – 60 year life

Table 1: Flooring – comparison of wood flooring versus concrete flooring

		Installed upper floor Timber joists + T&G floorboards	Installed upper floor In situ reinforced concrete trough slab	Installed upper floor Screeded in-situ concrete slab, plasterboard/plaster ceiling
Climate change kg CO²		-21	54	81
Acid deposition Kg SO²		0.038	0.37	0.56
Ozone depletion Kg CFC 11eq		0	0	0
Pollution to air	Human Toxicity kg tox	0.043	0.59	0.88
	POCP kg ethane eq	0.0029	0.005	0.0082
Pollution to water	Human Toxicity kg tox	0.00000046	0.000000017	0.000000032
	Ecotoxicity m3 tox	0.84	0.047	0.1
	Eutrophication Kg PO4 eq	0.0052	0.029	0.042
Fossil fuel depletion toe		0.0019	0.0082	0.013
Minerals extraction tonnes		0.0000088	0.32	0.46
Water extraction litres		5.2	160	240
Waste disposal tonnes		0.00024	0.0089	0.013
Transport pollution & congestion Tonne.km		34	20	33
Primary energy GJ		0.089	0.39	0.65

Note wood’s favourable scores particularly for negative embodied energy (climate change) and lower pollution to air and water.