Bitumen has been used as a construction product for thousands of years, making use of its excellent adhesive and waterproofing qualities. In roads, roofs or other applications bitumens are solid and will not present any health or environmental hazard.
Bitumen is 100% recyclable and recycling of asphalt paving has increased significantly in recent years. In 2008, 45 million tonnes of asphalt have been recycled in Europe. Quantities recycled directly back into road surfaces vary from country to country, but can be as high as 70%.
Protecting the environment and the sustainability of resources are increasingly important issues, and Eurobitume endeavors to ensure that the bitumen industry responds to society’s environmental expectations.
The heightened awareness of the importance of environmental protection, and the possible impacts associated with products manufactured and consumed, has increased the interest in the development of methods to better comprehend and reduce these impacts.
Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) are techniques which have been developed for assessing the environmental aspects and potential impacts throughout a product’s life from raw material acquisition through production, use and disposal.
ISO standards for these studies exist, and in accordance with these standards, Eurobitume first developed an LCI (eco-profile) for paving grade bitumen in 1999. This LCI is currently being updated in line with the latest developments in assessing and reporting the sustainability of building materials and their constituents.
Eurobitume seeks to provide adequate information to enable, or encourage, customers to carry out Life Cycle Inventories or Life Cycle Assessments of functions which use bituminous products. In cooperation with Eurobitume, the European Asphalt Pavement Association (EAPA) has developed a LCI for asphalt pavement based on the LCI for bitumen.
The Eurobitume LCI for paving grade bitumen may be also used by other organisations or customers developing environmental impact studies on bituminous products or applications.
