Proposal of Major Environmental Impact Categories of Construction Materials Based on Life Cycle Impact Assessments

The “Korean New Deal” policy in South Korea emphasizes the necessity of a substantial and timely response to global climate change. In addition to carbon emissions, construction materials have various environmental impacts that necessitate serious considerations. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the major environmental impact categories of construction materials that reflect their diverse environmental impact characteristics using life cycle assessment. To this end, eight environmental impact categories were assessed for seven major construction materials. The contributions of all construction materials to these environmental impact categories were then analyzed to derive major environmental impact categories with contributions ≥95% or higher for each construction material. Consequently, global warming potential and abiotic depletion potential were derived as major environmental impact categories for all seven construction materials. In the case of ready-mixed concrete and cement, the photochemical oxidant creation potential was also found to be an environmental impact category that needs to be considered further. Thus, a study that defines environmental impacts must be considered in conjunction with the carbon emissions of building materials, and presenting the criteria for evaluating the defined environmental impacts is essential.