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Glossary Terms List
Products manufacturer
Guidelines for the waste audits before demolition and renovation works of buildings, May 2018
May contribute to the waste audit providing solutions and/or requirements for the reused/recycled materials and components.
Product system value
ISO 14050:2020
Worth or desirability ascribed to a product system.
Product system
ISO 14050:2020
Collection of unit processes with elementary flows and product flows, performing one or more defined functions and which models the life cycle of a product.
Product specification
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Written statement of a product’s required (or actual) characteristics documented in a manner that facilitates its procurement or production and acceptance.
Product function characteristic
ISO 14050:2020
Attribute or characteristic in the performance and use of a product.
Product flow
ISO 14050:2020
Products entering from or leaving to another product system.
Product environmental criteria
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Environmental factors and conditions for a certain product which, when met by the producer, allow for the affixing of a symbol/label certifying its compliance.
Product category rules (PCR)
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Rules, requirements and guidelines for developing type III environmental declarations.
Product
ISO 14050/6707-1:2020 / ISO/DIS 59004
Any goods or service / construction product item manufactured or processed for incorporation in construction works. Physical-based object designed for or utilized with a purpose.
Process
ISO/DIS 59004
Set of interrelated or interacting activities that transforms inputs into outputs.
Principal contractor
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) (UK)
The contractor with control over the construction phase of a project involving more than one contractor.
Primary resource
ISO/DIS 59004
Natural resource or energy that is used as a resource for the first time as input in a process or for creating a product.
Primary raw material
Study on the EU's list of Critical Raw Materials / European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Virgin materials, natural inorganic or organic substance, such as metallic ores, industrial minerals, construction materials (aggregates, sands, soils, wood) or energy fuels, used for the first time. Material that came from nature and is in an unprocessed or minimally processed state.
Primary data
ISO 14050:2020
Quantified value of a unit process or an activity obtained from a direct measurement or a calculation based on direct measurements at the original source.
Prevention
Article 3, Definitions, DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC
Measures taken before a substance, material or product has become waste, that reduce: (a) the quantity of waste, including through the re use of products or the extension of the life span of products; (b) the adverse impacts of the generated waste on the environment and human health; or (c) the content of harmful substances in materials and products.
Prepare for reuse
Article 3, Definitions, DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC
Checking, cleaning or repairing recovery operations, by which products or components of products that have become waste are prepared so that they can be re-used without any other pre-processing (repair or cleaning of items which never became waste are not captured under this treatment category).
Pre-design process
ISO 6707-2:2017
A process determining properties for the design process.
Pre-demolition audit
EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016) / Guidelines for the waste audits before demolition and renovation works of buildings, May 2018
A preparatory activity with the purpose of: (1) collecting information about the qualities and quantities of the construction and demolition waste materials that will be released during the demolition, deconstruction or renovation works and (2) giving general and site specific recommendations regarding the demolition process. The demolition contractor carries out an advanced inspection of the demolition project and an inventory of the materials (hazardous and non-hazardous) to get insight into the nature, quantity and any contamination of the extracted demolition materials. An inventory is made of the risks to occupational safety and safety risks to the surroundings.
Post consumer recycled content
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Any material that was used by a consumer and then recycled for use in a new product.
Plan of work
ISO 19650-2:2018
Document that details principal stages in the design, construction work and maintenance of a project and identifies the main tasks and people.
Permanent works
FIDIC
Means the permanent works to be executed by the contractor under the contract.
Performance
ISO 6707-1:2020
Ability to fulfill required functions under intended use conditions or behaviour when in use.
Packaging
ISO 14050:2020
Product that is used to protect or contain another product during transportation, storage, marketing or use.
Organisation
ISO 55000:2014
Person or group of people that has its own function with responsibilities, authorities and relationships to achieve its objectives.
Obsolescence
ISO 6707-3:2022
Loss of ability of a product to perform satisfactorily due to the end of life cycle of the product or service.
Non-renewable resource
ISO 21930:2017 / ISO/DIS 59004
Resource that exists in a fixed amount that cannot be naturally replenished or cleansed on a human time scale. Resource that exists in a finite or limited amount that cannot be naturally regenerated within a foreseeable time frame.
Non-hazardous waste
Article 3, Definitions, Directive 2008/98/EC / https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary
Means waste which is not covered by point 2 of Article 3. Non-hazardous waste means waste which is not classified as hazardous waste.
Natural resource
ISO 14050:2020 / ISO/DIS 59004
Part of nature that provides benefits to humans or underpins human well-being. Raw material occurring in nature.
Mixed construction and demolition waste
EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016)
Mixture of different fractions of C&D waste
Material recovery
Article 3, Definitions, European directive 2008/98/EC / ISO 6707-3:2022
Any recovery operation, other than energy recovery and the reprocessing into materials that are to be used as fuels or other means to generate energy. It includes, inter alia, preparing for re-use, recycling and backfilling (same concept as waste recovery except it excludes energy recovery operations). Recovery from previous use or from waste derived from one product system and used as input to another product system.
Digital Material (Product) Passport
Digital document listing all the materials that are included in a product or construction during its life cycle in order to facilitate strategizing circularity decisions in supply chain management. Digital Product Passports (DPP) are a tool for collecting and sharing product data throughout its entire lifecycle used to illustrate a product’s sustainability, environmental and recyclability attributes.
Material flow
ISO 14050:2020
Input or output of a material or group of materials.
Material (or product) databank
A computer application that enables materials experts and product development teams to find, explore, and apply materials property data.
Manufacturing
Any industry that makes products from raw materials by the use of manual labour or machinery and that is usually carried out systematically with a division of labour (See industry). In a more limited sense, manufacturing denotes the fabrication or assembly of components into finished products on a fairly large scale.
Maintenance process
EN ISO 12006-2:2020
Construction process preserving the function of, or operating, the built environment.
Maintenance
EN 15643:2021 / European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Combination of all technical and associated administrative actions during an item’s service life to retain a building / structure or an assembled system (part of works) in a state in which it can perform its required function.
Main contractor
See 'Principal contractor'.
Local authority
ISO 14050:2020
Public body given the authority by legislation or directives of a higher level of government to set general policies, plans or requirements.
Linear economy
ISO/DIS 59004
Economic system where resources typically follow the pattern of extraction, production, use and disposal.
Life-span
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Actual period of time that a building continues to fulfill its original functions.
Life cycle inventory analysis (LCI)
ISO 14040:2006 / ISO 14050:2020
Phase of a life cycle assessment involving the compilation and quantification of inputs and outputs for a product throughout its life cycle.
Longevity
See 'Durability'.
Life cycle impact category indicator
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Quantifiable representation of an environmental issue of concern (impact category) to which life cycle inventory results may be assigned.
Life cycle cost
ISO 15686-5:2017 & EN 15643-1:2018
Cost of an asset or its parts throughout its life cycle, while fulfilling the performance requirements (compare to whole-life cost).
Information and communication technologies (ICT)
Computer Security Resource Centre. Glossary
Encompasses all technologies for the capture, storage, retrieval, processing, display, representation, organization, management, security, transfer, and interchange of data and information.
Information management (IM)
ISO 19650-1:2018
Business processes across the built environment sector in support of the management and production of information during the life cycle of built assets.
Information unit
ISO 6707-2:2017
Single piece of information.
Intermediate product
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Product that has undergone a partial processing and is used as raw material in a successive productive step.
Key performance indicator (KPI)
ISO 14050:2020
Indicator of performance deemed by an organization to be significant and giving prominence and attention to certain aspects of operations, management, conditions or impacts.
Landfill
ISO 472:2013 & EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016)
Waste disposal site for the deposit of waste onto or into land under controlled or regulated conditions. Waste disposal site for the deposit of the waste onto or into land (for instance underground), including (1) internal waste disposal sites (for instance own waste disposal carried out by the producer of waste at the place of production), and (2) a permanent site (older than one year) which is used for temporary storage of waste, But excluding: (1) facilities where waste is unloaded in order to permit its preparation for further transport for recovery, treatment or disposal elsewhere, and (2) storage of waste prior to recovery or treatment for a period less than 3 years as a general rule, (3) storage of waste prior to disposal for a period less than 1 year.
Lean construction
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Way to design production systems to minimise waste of materials, time, and effort in order to generate the maximum possible amount of value.
Life cycle
ISO 14050:2020 & ISO 15643:2021
Consecutive and interlinked stages from raw material acquisition or generation from natural resources to final disposal. Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material acquisition or generation from natural resources to final disposal.
Life cycle assessment (LCA)
ISO 14050:2020; EN 15643-1:2018 & ISO 14040:2006
Compilation and assessment of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system through its life cycle. Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle.
Inert waste
EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016)
Waste that does not undergo any significant physical, chemical or biological transformations (for ex. concrete, bricks, masonry, tiles). Inert waste will not dissolve, burn or otherwise react physically or chemically, biodegrade or adversely affect other matter with which it comes into contact in a way likely to give rise to environmental pollution or harm human health.
Industry 4.0
IBM (2022). What is industry 4.0? Ibm; IBM
Realization of the digital transformation of the field, delivering real-time decision making, enhanced productivity, flexibility and agility to revolutionize the way companies manufacture, improve and distribute their products.
Indicator
ISO 14050 & ISO 6707 3:2022
Quantitative, qualitative or binary variable that can be measured, calculated or described, representing the status of operations, management, conditions or impacts.
Hazardous construction and demolition waste
EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016)
Debris that has hazardous properties and that may prove to be harmful to human health or the environment. This comprises contaminated soil and dredging spoil, materials and substances that may include adhesives, sealants and mastic (flammable, toxic or irritant), tar (toxic, carcinogenic), asbestos based materials in the form of respirable fibre (toxic, carcinogenic), wood treated with fungicides, pesticides, etc. (toxic, ecotoxic, flammable), coatings of halogenated flame retardants (ecotoxic, toxic, carcinogenic), equipment with PCBs (ecotoxic, carcinogenic), mercury lighting (toxic, ecotoxic), systems with CFCs, insulation containing CFCs65 , containers for hazardous substances (solvents, paints, adhesives, etc.) and the packaging of likely contaminated waste.
Hazardous waste
Article 3, Definitions, Directive 2008/98/EC & Guidelines for the waste audits before demolition and renovation works of buildings, May 2018
Waste which displays one or more of the hazardous properties listed in Annex III. Waste that due to its (intrinsic) chemical - or other - properties poses a risk to the environment and/or human health. Wastes listed as hazardous in the European List of Waste are marked with and asterisk in the List of Waste.
Handover
EN 15643:2021 & European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Step at which possession of the construction works is surrendered to the client upon completion with or without reservation.
Good
ISO 14050:2020
Something that satisfies human wants or needs.
Functional unit
ISO 14050:2020
Quantified performance of a product system for use as a reference unit.
Feasibility study
ISO 6707-2:2017
A feasibility study is a detailed analysis that considers all of the critical aspects of a proposed project in order to determine the likelihood of t succeeding.
Estimated (predicted) service life
ISO 15686-1:2011
Service life that a building or parts of a building would be expected to have in a set of specific in use conditions, determined from reference service life data after taking into account any differences from the reference in-use conditions.
Excavation waste
Excavation waste definition (https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary)
Means natural soil, earth, sand, gravel, asphalt, concrete and stone or any parts or mixtures thereof. Means naturally occurring soil, stone, rock and similar materials (whether clean or contaminated) which have been excavated as a result of site preparation activities.
Environmental profiling
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Method used to capture in quantifiable terms the impact of a good or service on the environment.
Environmental product declaration (EPD)
ISO 21930:2017
Standardized document informing about a product’s environmental and human health impact. It’s based on the ISO 14025 standard and the scientific footprinting method Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The goal of an EPD is to inform and communicate with stakeholders about a product’s environmental impact. Therefore, companies often use EPDs for commercial purposes.
Environmental indicator
ISO 21929-1:2011
Sustainability indicator related to an environmental impact.
Environmental impact
ISO 14050:2020
Change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, including possible consequences, wholly or partially resulting from an organisation's environmental aspects.
Environmental declaration
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
One of three types of declarations: type I, based on third-party certification for specific goods and services; type II, based on self-declarations; and type III, based on life-cycle impacts and their assessment.
Environmental burden
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Total impact on the environment of a construction product or project.
Environmental aspect
ISO 14050:2020
Element of an organisation's activities or products that interacts or can interact with the environment.
Environment
ISO/DIS 59004
Surroundings in which an organization operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans, and their relationships.
Energy recovery
ISO 6707-3:2022; ISO 21930:2017 & ISO/DIS 59004
Recovery of energy from a process, including waste treatment process. Generation of useful energy through direct and controlled transformation of recovered resources.
End of use
ISO/DIS 59004
Point in time during the life cycle at which a product or resource is transferred by the holder to some other holder.
End-of-life cost
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Cost associated with the disposal, termination or replacement of an asset or service.
End of life
TechTarget (https://www.techtarget.com/)
End of life (EOL), in the context of manufacturing and product lifecycles, is the final stages of a product's existence.
Elementary flow
ISO 14050:2020
Material or energy entering the system being studied that has been drawn from the environment without previous human transformation, or material or energy leaving the system being studied that is released into the environment without subsequent human transformation.
Element
Uniclass 2015 & Design Buildings Wiki
The main components of a structure like a bridge (foundations, piers, deck) or a building (floors, walls and roofs).
Ecosystem
ISO/DIS 59004
Dynamic complex of communities of plants, animals and microorganisms and their non-living environment, interacting as a functional entity.
Eco-efficiency
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Practice which involves increasing the productivity of natural resources. Measure relating environmental performance of a product system to its product system value.
Ecodesign
ISO 14006:2020 & ISO/DIS 59004
Systematic approach that considers environmental aspects in design and development with the aim to reduce adverse environmental impacts throughout the life cycle of a product Design and development based on life cycle thinking aimed at supporting sustainable development.
Durability
EN 15643:2021 & European Economic and Social
Committee. Lets speak…
Ability to maintain required technical performance throughout the service life, subject to specified maintenance under the influence of the foreseeable actions. Power of resisting agents or influences which tend to cause changes, decay, or dissolution; lastingness.
Drawings
FIDIC & www.dictionary.com
Drawings of the designed works, as included in the Contract, and any additional and modified drawings issued by (or on behalf of) the Employer in accordance with the Contract. The act of a person or thing that draws. a graphic representation by lines of an object or idea, as with a pencil; a delineation of form without reference to colour.
Downcycling/downgrading
Helbig, C., Huether, J., Joachimsthaler, C., Lehmann, C., Raatz, S., Thorenz, A., Faulstich, M., Tuma, A. (2022) 'A terminology for downcycling'. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 26, pp. 1164-1174
Phenomenon of quality reduction of materials reprocessed from waste relative to their original quality, where waste means any substance or object which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard. Downcycled materials count as recycled materials. One can distinguish between thermodynamic, functional, and economic downcycling.
Disposal cost
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Cost of removing or getting rid of refuse or unwanted materials left over from a manufacturing process.
Disposal
Article 3, Definitions, DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC
Any operation which is not recovery even where the operation has as a secondary consequence the reclamation of substances or energy.
Dismantling
Design Buildings Wiki
Careful deconstruction of building components for repair, re-use, re-purposing or recycling. Dismantling differs from deconstruction in that it can be undertaken as a means of conservation, maintenance and repair works, whereas deconstruction involves taking a building down, albeit in a careful way that aims to minimise waste and maximise re-use. Dismantling also differs from demolition in that it does not generally involve the clearance of an entire structure.
Disassembly
Springer: New York ; London, 2010; ISBN 9781441956538
Ability to be taken apart at the end of its useful life in such a way that components and parts can be reused, recycled, recovered for energy.
Digital Twin
Service Design Research in Information Systems : Theory and Practice
A digital twin is a virtual representation of an object or system designed to reflect a physical object accurately. It spans the object's lifecycle, is updated from real-time data and uses simulation, machine learning and reasoning to help make decisions. A digital twin is “a virtual representation of an object, a service process, a product, or anything else that can be digitized.”
Design science research
Hevner, A.R., Samir Chatterjee (2010) Service Design Research in Information Systems: Theory and Practice. Springer. New York & London. ISBN 9781441956538
Research paradigm focused on developing and evaluating innovative IT artefacts designed to address practical, real world issues. The foundational principle is that knowledge and comprehension of a problem domain and its solution are acquired through the construction and application of the designed artifact.
Design quality assessment
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Process which monitors all stages in the design of a building/structure and seeks to assist the client in determining whether or not the final building will be of a high quality.
Design process
EN ISO 12006-2:2020
Construction process determining construction properties for the built environment before it is made physical.
Design life
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak… & EN 15643:2021
Period of time that a building or structure must be able to function as envisaged without a need for a major renovation. Service life intended by the designer,
Designer
Construction (Design and Management) & Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) (UK)
An organisation or individual whose work involves preparing or modifying designs for construction projects, or arranging for, or instructing, others to do this. Designers can be architects, consulting engineers and quantity surveyors, or anyone who specifies and alters designs as part of their work.
Design criteria
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Set of conditions and requirements which must be met by architects when designing any building or urban space.
Demountability
ISO 6707-3:2022
Ability to be removed from its mounting or setting.
Demolition waste
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Waste debris from deconstruction of a building or structure.
Demolition
What is building demolition? (https://safetyculture.com/topics/build
ing-demolition/ & https://www.collinsdictionary.com/)
Process of dismantling, destroying, or knocking down building structures along with the materials used in the construction of the property. The demolition of a building is the act of deliberately destroying it, often in order to build something else in its place.
Dematerialization
Architect Design (https://www.architectureanddesign.co
m.au/getmedia/9391de5b-1aad-408b-
994a-9e6e421f7cce/Holcim-Designing-
for-Dematerialisation.aspx?ext=.pdf)
Design strategy that prioritises lower material and resource inputs across all life cycle stages of a building, without adversely affecting the operational performance or intended function of the building.
Decontamination
EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016)
Reduction or removal of chemical agents
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