Sustainable construction: Analyzing material environmental impact through ecological footprint analysis

• Quantifies the Ecological Footprint (EF) of Construction Materials. • Novel Methodology for Environmental Impact Assessment. • The Ecological Footprint of Cement is about 0.042 – 0.072 gha/ton. • The Ecological Footprint of Concrete (M20 grade) is about 0.04674 gha/m 3 . Construction materials play a crucial role in resource consumption during construction, as well as contributing to environmental imprints on the planet. This study aims to assess the Ecological Footprint of various construction materials. The proposed approach requires energy use or potential carbon dioxide emissions information from the manufacturing process, as well as the requirement of bioproductive land for construction materials production. The bioproductive land consumption during the production of construction materials is very significant, and it needs to be examined using the Ecological Footprint analysis. The Ecological Footprint of cement is 0.042 – 0.072 gha/ton, which is an important building material in construction. The environmental impact of conventional concrete (M20 grade) is approximately 0.04674 gha/m 3 . Other materials, including bricks, ceramic tiles, aggregates, glass, and insulation materials, exhibit high Ecological Footprint values (i.e., require high demand of bioproductive land for production), emphasizing the necessity for sustainable alternatives to some materials. The findings in this study can also support and facilitate the discussion of the meaningful targets required to accomplish the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.