Environmental impact categories
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) calculates the environmental effects of construction products across their full life cycle. These effects are expressed in individual environmental impact categories and together form the environmental profile of a product in the Dutch Environmental Database.
For LCA practitioners, data owners and users of environmental data in the construction sector
Environmental impact categories describe different types of environmental effects, such as climate change, acidification and resource depletion. Together they form the environmental profile of a construction product. Through the weighting set, these effects are converted into a single weighted environmental performance score. As of 1 July 2026, calculations are based on 19 impact categories using set A2 (EN 15804+A2).
What are environmental impact categories?
An LCA maps which emissions are released and which raw materials are used during the life cycle of a construction product. This data is classified into individual environmental impact categories. Each category measures a specific environmental effect, expressed in its own unit, such as climate change, acidification, eutrophication, resource depletion and toxicity.
Because these categories use different units, they cannot be added together directly. For this purpose, the system of weighting set and shadow costs is applied.
Read more about: Weighting set and shadow costs
From 11 to 19 impact categories
The classification of environmental impact categories follows the European standard EN 15804. As of 1 July 2026, EPB calculations for new buildings in the buildings and civil engineering sector are based on set A2 (EN 15804+A2), consisting of 19 categories. This is an expansion compared to the previous set A1, which consisted of 11 categories. The expansion provides refinement of existing indicators, a breakdown of climate change into three separate indicators, and additional indicators for toxicity and resource use. Environmental data in the Dutch Environmental Database is compiled in accordance with this standard.
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