18.10.2024
Here is an update of the ATIBT FAQ.
The ATIBT and its partners have launched the ‘Dryades’ project, the aim of which is to enhance the value of tropical wood products in the construction sector by providing Life Cycle Analyses (LCAs) from Africa for a range of eco-certified products in the Congo Basin, as well as Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Environmental and Health Declaration Sheets (EHSDSs).
The FAQ has been updated with answers to two new questions.
An EPD is an environmental study of a product based on an analysis of the product's life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to the end of the product's life. A carbon footprint, on the other hand, is a ‘site’ approach, i.e. the impact of a production site for all the products manufactured there. It is therefore not relative to a functional unit (m², linear metre, etc.) of a product, but to a certain volume of production of different products. In particular, a carbon footprint may cover employee transport, administrative buildings, etc. But it does not include the end-of-life of products or their use. The two approaches are therefore not comparable.
The LCIs produced by the ATIBT aim to cover the impacts of production from forestry to transport to the port of shipment in Africa. They therefore cover stages A1-A3 (according to the nomenclature of standard NF EN15804+A2) but also part of module A4 for transport from the sawmill to the shipping port.
Also, the sensitivity and severity studies, although both produced in accordance with the recommendations of standard NF EN15804+A2/CN, did not lead to the same results, as the life cycle stages covered were different. The representative wood densities for the two sheets are different, leading to slightly different results.
Finally, the LCIs are expressed perm3 of product manufactured, whereas the SHEFs for cladding and decking are expressed per m² of product.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that the results obtained for the two types of communication are consistent and have been verified by an independent third party.
The FAQ is available online:
but you can also download the FAQ here:
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Alessandra Negri or Benoit Jobbé-Duval
