Development of a novel ECO-LABELing EU-harmonized methodology for cost-effective, safer and greener road products and infrastructures (ECOLABEL)

Research Project, 2013 – 2016

The EU Ecolabel identifies products and services that contribute to sustainability because they have demonstrated a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle. There are already more than 17,000 EU Ecolabelled products on the market, but there are no references for road products and infrastructuresThe concept of the ECOLABEL project arises from the necessity of a new, green, holistic and EU-harmonised ecolabeling methodology integrating by a Life Cycle Engineering approach: environmental indicators along with the economic, technical and social aspects, for the assessment of future and existing road infrastructures, as well as their construction materials such as asphalt mixtures and cement-based materials.This methodology, together with a guide for road eco-labelling and a multi-criteria software tool to be developed, will define eco-labels and provide recommendations to improve the label achieved, supporting and motivating relevant stakeholders and industry in order to include greener, more cost-effective and safer technologies in their road construction, maintenance and renewal projects.In order to achieve the expected results a complete work plan has been performed. This plan that will move from the definition of the new ecolabelling methodology considering existing relevant labelling approaches, plus the analysis of road products, to the development of guidelines and of a software tool that thanks to the direct involvement of CEN in the project, will motivate future EU-harmonized labelling approaches for roads that would grant the implementation of the ECOLABEL results.The ECOLABEL project will contribute to the implementation of European policies and strategies, boosting the integration of transport in sustainable development promoting technologies and materials that reduce pollutant emissions and the use of natural and financial resources.

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