Material- and stock-level environmental impact assessment of two circular carbon reduction strategies applied to the European building sector

The uptake of renewable energy sources (RES) and recycled content (RC) in the manufacturing of nine construction materials is modelled at the material and building stock level, evaluating 19 environmental indicators with an LCA approach. The goal is to assess the effectiveness of these circular measures and gain insight into how different modelling approaches might affect the results. In the RES scenario, the impact reduction is similar for all assessed materials, while in the RC scenario it varies among the materials. This conclusion holds for the two modelling approaches used. The more detailed modelling approach revealed trade-offs between the environmental indicators, such as the increase in abiotic resource depletion impacts in the RES scenario. By adopting a consistent modelling approach and considering a broad range of impact categories, this work sets the foundations for comprehensive stock-level assessments of these measures, within the context of scenario analysis for policy support. • LCA of two circular carbon reduction measures applied to the EU building sector. • Manufacturing of construction materials with renewable energy and recycled content. • Material- and stock-level assessment and literature-based validation. • Holistic analysis, with identification of trade-offs among 19 impact categories. • Solid foundation for further scenario analysis for policy support.