Environmental assessment of construction products needs to return to common-sense thinking. Between theory and practice, between academia and industry

This perspective article sheds light on the relatively underexplored issue of manufacturers' ability to reliably assess the environmental impact of construction products. Earlier review-based studies have yet to comprehensively examine the domain of practical environmental evaluation of construction products. The new EU regulation regarding the marketing of construction products has introduced mandatory environmental assessments for construction products. It occurred despite over a decade of using the environmental assessment model with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which revealed numerous problems and shortcomings, primarily from the manufacturer’s perspective, due to the incomparability of the obtained results. In the author’s view, the proposed model for assessing the environmental impact of construction products will be difficult to implement in a rational manner. In light of previously published research on the environmental impacts of construction products, the only rational solution is to develop sector-specific Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Such a solution will enable rationalizing industry expenditures and prevent the chaos that can arise when comparing environmental impact indicators for construction products. This perspective offers deeper insight into the environmental assessment of construction products from the practitioner’s (manufacturer’s) perspective and identifies research gaps. The pragmatic dimension of assessing the environmental impact of construction products, as presented in this perspective, clearly illustrates the disconnect between academic research and the feasibility of practical application.