CSFE Environment and Health Statements
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CSFE Bituminous waterproofing systems Contribution to the HQE® initiative Environment and Health Statements Produced by the Chambre Syndicale Française de l’Etanchéité

Sustainable development, reducing the greenhouse effect, waste recycling, life cycle analysis are all now terms in everyday use. In the construction industry, the HQE ® approach – Haute Qualité Environnementale (high environmental quality) – is a concrete response to these increasingly significant issues. Wishing to take part in this initiative, the manufacturers of bituminous waterproofing products have contributed in the form of Environmental and Health Statements (FDES fact sheets – Fiches de Déclaration Environnementale et Sanitaire) for their proposed systems. With the growing...

BITUMINOUS WATERPROOFING 2. Bitumen: a material with ideal qualities Hydrophobic and flexible, bitumen provides ideal mechanical characteristics for creating a waterproof system. In addition to its excellent bonding qualities, bitumen does not absorb water and is resistant to structural movement. It retains its properties over a long period of time, thus making a contribution to the long life of buildings. 1. Effective protection The principal task of bituminous waterproofing systems is to protect the building from the elements (water, snow, etc.). Beyond this main function, the...

A RESPONSIBLE AND EFFECTIVE METHOD The CSFE chose to establish common industry fact sheets for the principal waterproofing systems, with the help of and following the methodology suggested by the specialists PWC-Ecobilan. 1. Joint FDES fact sheets – easy to use System 6: self-adhesive, self-finished, two layer waterproofing As the environmental impacts of one type of waterproofing system are similar from one manufacturer and factory to another, the CSFE chose to establish common industry fact sheets stating the average impact generated by systems from the five manufacturers participating in...

4. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) 6. Typical life span (TLS) This was defined for each system considered by “a 1m2 flat roof covering with a polymer bitumen waterproofing system”. This UF includes the waterproofing of ancillary works (waterproofing details, rainwater outlets, protection, etc) directly incorporated in the waterproofing system. The life of a waterproofing system varies according to exposure to sunlight and to added protection, if any. Also, the life expectancy of a system does not correspond to that of the roof: in fact the installation standards (DTU series 43) include the...

LEVEL OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT “The CSFE decided to draw up some FDES fact sheets corresponding to the average environmental impact generated by systems from the five manufacturers taking part in this scheme” 1 Focus: Bituminous waterproofing systems, a useful and sustainable store of petroleum constituents. Although they contain a significant quantity of carbon matter derived from petroleum, bituminous waterproofing systems globally emit only low levels of CO2 or other greenhouse gases. Bitumen is the greatest constituent by mass in a waterproofing system and is a heavy hydrocarbonated...

LEVEL OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Total primary energy Renewable energy (of which process energy) Depletion of natural resources Water consumption Solid waste kg/UF Hazardous waste Inert waste Radioactive waste Discarded Notes on Units Fictitious volume of air or water, calculated in m , by which it would be necessary to dilute each flux from the list to make it conform to the threshold given in the amended regulaton of 2 February 1998. Climate change This indicator takes into account energy and non-energy resources (except water) consumed during total life span, by balancing each of them by a...

Vapour control layer 11 System 12 39.6 Translation copyright of Axter Limited

RESPONSE TO THE HQE® INITIATIVE Established in 1996 to integrate the environmental approach into the construction industry, the HQE® association defined 14 areas of action or “targets” grouped into four main categories: eco-construction, eco-management, comfort and health. Manufacturers from the bituminous waterproofing sector proposed concrete responses to these different targets. Translation copyright of Axter Limited Harmony between buildings and their immediate environment Integrated choice of building products and systems x Bituminous waterproofing systems are designed to protect the...

TARGET 3 Low pollution building site x In the case of a two-layer system, the bituminous waterproofing system helps the general management of the project: the first layer provisionally protects the building while works are in progress. The second layer can be installed once other trades have finished work, thus avoiding accidental damage. x The renovation of a waterproofing system consists in most cases in adding a new RBM to the existing waterproofing, in order to prolong the function of both the system and the insulation. x Waterproofing membranes can be recycled; this is due in...

Water management Waste management Maintenance management x A green roof (intensive or extensive) allows a high level of water retention on the roof: 50 to 80% of annual rainfall in volume in a continental climate does not join the drainage network but is returned to the atmosphere by the process of evapo-transpiration (FLL rules for making green roofs, 2002 edition). x Waterproofing systems with protective chippings and green roofs slow rainwater run-off, reducing the likelihood of the drainage system overflowing when there are violent storms. x Rainwater recovered from a roof can be...

Humidity control Acoustic comfort x Green roofs absorb the sun’s rays and refresh the atmosphere by evaporation of the water retained by the substrate: energy consumption of air conditioning units below is reduced. x In summer as in winter the layer of vegetation contributes to the thermal mass of the roof. x A light coloured finish on the waterproofing (e.g. white mineral chippings) will reflect 65% of the sun’s rays when the system is new and 45% as it ages. x Due to their mass and elastoplastic properties, bituminous waterproofing systems deaden impact noise (rain, hail). x Waterproofing...