Gaps are the gaps in the database that need to be filled. What kind of data is this about and how is it structured?

The National Environmental Database contains data as obtained from life cycle analyses (LCAs) of building materials. This data contains scores on various impact categories that thus collectively reflect how sustainable a building product actually is.

This environmental data is divided into three categories, categories 1,2 and 3.

• Category 1 data, is verified, proprietary data. It is owned by a manufacturer.
• Category 2 data is verified, sector-specific data, owned by an industry.
• Category 3 data is unverified generic data. This is a fallback option because there are no environmental declarations for the relevant construction product yet. It has not been tested according to the testing protocol and is therefore less sharp, so there is a markup factor on the results of 30%.

Having category 1 and 2 data available is very important to give a realistic representation of a building's environmental impact. This is so because the EPB/ ECI calculation with category 3 declarations always ends up higher than the actual environmental impact due to the uplift factor. As you probably understand, our aim is to have as much category 1 and 2 data available in our database as possible, and thus to fill in the ‘gaps’ of the database.

With support from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Stichting NMD has set up this compensation scheme Filling the Gaps, with different product groups requiring attention. Currently, you can apply for reimbursement for: Biobased building materials and Construction installations.

Read more about the compeansation scheme