Why we need more LCAs?

Nearly 40% of the world’s energy consumption and one-third of related global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are due to the building sector, according to UNEP. For years, major efforts have focused on reducing the energy used to operate buildings—things like heating, cooling, lighting, and ventilation. This is what is known as operational energy, and it has been tackled through policies, incentives, energy-efficient technologies, and the adoption of renewable energy sources.

However, a significant amount of emissions are also the consequence of the production, transportation, installation, and eventual demolition and disposal of building materials. These are called embodied emissions and have not received the same level of attention as operational energy—despite its growing importance in the push for sustainable construction. To calculate and reduce these emissions, we rely on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)—a method that evaluates the environmental impact of building materials across the entire life cycle of a building.

The tricky part? Building LCA still lacks clear guidelines. Even though the overall approach has been standardised through frameworks like ISO and EN, there are still many challenges: uncertainties in data, inconsistent methodologies, and a maze of different frameworks and compliance tools depending on the region or project type.

In this article, we will help you navigate this complex ecosystem of Building LCA in compliances, and give you a clear, simplified overview of how it all fits together.

Standards, Frameworks, Certifications, Labels & Regulations – What is the difference and how is LCA building integrated in them?

If you want to reduce the environmental impacts of a building, you need to follow some kind of standard, certification, or regulation. In this article, they will be referred as Compliances. They help ensure that a building meets certain environmental or performance criteria—and they can cover a wide range of aspects such as energy efficiency, environmental impacts of buildings materials, water efficiency, indoor air quality and thermal comfort.

These terms—standards, frameworks, certifications, labels, regulations, policies, and directives—are often confused, but they each play a different role. They also integrate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in different ways.

Let’s break them down one by one:

Legal Requirements & Policy Drivers

• Regulations are legally binding rules set by governments or public authorities. Unlike certifications or labels, compliance is mandatory—you can not opt out. Regulations often set minimum performance thresholds for things like energy, materials, thermal comfort etc.

  📌 Example: RE2020 is France’s national building regulation for new construction projects, applied to specific building use types (e.g. housing, offices, schools). It aims to reduce energy consumption, embodied carbon, and improve thermal comfort. The regulation sets performance thresholds for each of these aspects, which vary based on the building type and the target year, with stricter limits introduced progressively over time. (read more about RE2020 in this article)

How is LCA integrated in RE2020? LCA is addressed in the indicator called Ic construction, it measures the carbon impact of construction products and processes across their entire life cycle. Projects must conduct a whole-building LCA following standardised methods and stay within the carbon thresholds based on building type and construction year.

• Directives are high-level EU policy instruments that are binding for member states, but must be transposed into national law. They set long-term goals and guide future regulations, rather than applying directly to individual projects.

  📌 Example: EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) sets EU-wide targets for energy efficiency, renovation, and decarbonisation of buildings. The 2024 revision introduces requirements for whole-life carbon assessments, including LCA.

How is LCA integrated in EPBD? LCA is not mandatory yet, but member states must start requiring whole-life carbon assessments for large new buildings from 2028, making LCA a growing part of national codes.

Methodology & Guidance for LCA

• Standards are official technical documents that provide guidance on methodologies. They are not mandatory by themselves, but many compliance tools (like certifications, labels, and regulations) are built upon them to ensure consistency and credibility.

  📌 Example 1: EN 15978 is the European standard that defines how to assess the environmental performance of entire buildings using LCA (from materials to end-of-life).

How is LCA integrated in EN 15978? Th entire standard is about LCA and its methodologies, what stages to include, how to compute results, which data to use, etc.

• Frameworks are voluntary guidelines that assess and improve the sustainability performance of buildings by voluntary structures. You are free to follow whatever part you want in the framework.

  📌 Example 1: Level(s) is a voluntary framework developed by the European Commission to help assess and improve the sustainability performance of buildings across their full life cycle. It was originally developed to harmonise sustainability metrics in the building sector across Europe and influence future policies. It is applicable for specific project types and building typologies.

How is LCA integrated in Levels? The indicator related to LCA is 1.2: Life cycle Global Warming Potential (GWP), which measures the total carbon footprint of a building whole life cycle. The framework provides guidance on how to assess this at different stages of the project—starting from early design (level 1) through to post-construction (level 3).

Voluntary Market Tools

• Certifications are sets of sustainability performance criteria that a building must follow made by private entities. The project team submits proof of compliance, and an independent third party reviews it—often with audits. If the criteria are met, the certification is granted.

  📌 Example 1: LEED v4/v4.1 BD+C is an international green building certification by USGBC for New Construction and Major Renovations.

How is LCA integrated in LEED? The credit related to LCA in LEED is called Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction in the Materials and Resources category. Projects can earn up to 4 points by conducting an LCA and showing a reduction in environmental impacts compared to a baseline design.

    📌 Example 2: BREEAM International NC is also an international green building certification by BRE for New Constructions only.

How is LCA integrated in BREEAM? LCA is addressed under the Mat 01 – Life Cycle Impacts in the Materials issue. Points are awarded based on the use of recognised LCA tools to compare different design options and demonstrate impact reductions across categories. You can find Vizcab for the projects in France.

♦️ Note: There are other certification schemes in LEED and BREEAM for other project types (e.g. maintenance, renovation, fit-out, etc) and building typologies (e.g. residential, office, industrial), as a result, the weight of LCA-related credits can vary or not exist at all.

• Labels are marks or badges that show that a specific performance has been achieved in the building — such as low carbon, health, or bio-sourced content.

  📌 Example 1: Biosourcé label in France highlights buildings that use a significant percentage of bio-based materials, promoting the use of renewable, natural resources in construction.

How is LCA integrated in Biosourcé label? LCA is not the main focus of the Biosourcé label, but LCA supports the label by helping verify the environmental impact and bio-based content of materials, often through EPDs.

The European LCA ecosystem

The European sustainability landscape is full of compliance tools and acronyms that can be difficult to we hear all the time but still won’t fully comprehend. The main elements of the ecosystem are represented in the image below, to help you better understand how these tools relate to one another, specifically the following:

• Is it on building or company level?
• Their main type?
• Their geographical applicability?
• How hard it is to comply with it?
• Is the LCA mandatory?

Technical LCA requirements

Different compliance tools set different LCA scopes and technical requirements. These technical differences defines how hard is the compliance. Here are the main areas where LCA requirements can vary:

• Life cycle stages covered: Which stages are included (e.g. A1–A5 for construction, B for use, C for end-of-life, D for reuse/recycling potential).
• Lifespan assumptions: The reference study period (typically 50 or 60 years) can vary
• Accepted EPD ( types*: Whether generic, sector-average, or product-specific EPDs are accepted and how they’re weighted.
• Databases used: Some compliances require specific LCA databases (e.g. INIES in France for RE2020, ÖKOBAUDAT in Germany for DGNB).
• Thresholds and benchmarks: Are there thresholds to meet, or just relative improvements with baselines?
• Environmental indicators required: Some compliances ask only for GWP (climate impact), others require multiple indicators like ozone depletion, acidification, etc.
• Reporting format and method: Structured forms, software-specific exports, or manual uploads, requirements vary.

*EPD : An EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) is a standardized document providing transparent, verified information about a product's environmental impact across its lifecycle.

Global Trends & Impact on the industry

Climate policy has lost some momentum, especially with shifting global politics and deregulatory measures like the EU Omnibus (Stop the Clock), which has delayed sustainability reporting requirements for EU companies by two years.

Yet, the pressure is far from over. By 2028, thousands of companies and new construction projects across Europe will still be required to report on their environmental impact, due to CSRD and EPBD.

Certifications are also evolving to meet these demands—LEED v5 is introducing mandatory LCA credits, raising the bar for sustainable constructions.

Globally, the landscape is shifting too. China has released its first set of Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directives (CSRD), which will become mandatory by 2030, signalling a growing commitment to transparency and sustainability.

Moreover, many European countries have already implemented specific regulations for low carbon and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the construction sector, reinforcing transparency and environmental performance requirements.

This means the entire value chain—engineers, architects, developers, manufacturers, and consultants—will need to deepen their understanding of the carbon footprint of designs andmaterials. Thresholds will tighten, and both companies and buildings will need to comply with stricter national and EU-wide sustainability criteria.

Building regulations in the EU resulting from the EPBD Directive

Source: Indicate report, BPIE, 2024

To stay ahead, it is essential to keep learning, share knowledge, and stay connected to the ecosystem.

👉 Join Vizcab webinars to deepen your understanding of LCA, embodied carbon, and compliance strategies.

👉 Explore our resources to stay informed on the latest regulatory shifts, tools, and best practices.

Now’s the time to take the lead—be ready for what’s next.

Ready to see it in action? Discover how Vizcab Platform can streamline your workflow, enhance efficiency, and help you achieve your carbon goals faster.

Schedule your free personalized demo today!