Identifying key attributes driving the environmental performance of aggregates production

Paper in proceeding, 2026

Current design practices for aggregate production plants primarily focus on operational and economic viability. To reach Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a need to improve the environmental performance of production plants, which requires incorporating environmental aspects into design practice for both current and future plants. However, beyond energy and water management, stakeholders have limited guidance for integrating environmental performance into design and operational decisions informed by real-world data from operational plants. In this study, Life Cycle Assessment has been used to calculate the environmental impacts of 16 aggregate production plants in Europe based on site-specific data. The results are explored to benchmark and identify key site-specific characteristics associated with high and low environmental performance. The findings aim to provide evidence-based insights to inform current and future plant design and support the development towards low-impact production systems.