In Switzerland, greenhouse gas emissions from the construction of buildings have hardly decreased in recent years. This must change if the objectives of the Paris Climate Convention are to be achieved. In a study financed by SwissEnergy and the City of Zurich we examined what may be expected from building material manufacturers in this context. For that purpose, life cycle assessments of future production of construction materials relevant in structural engineering were performed. In the focus of the assessment are mineral and metal materials, wood and plastics produced and/or used in Switzerland. Life cycle inventory data of future transport services and energy supply are included as well.

Information about the technological development of manufacturing processes, transport services and energy supply were collected in interviews with representatives from associations and pioneering companies and with desk top research. Data and information collected were consolidated and complemented with assumptions where necessary and used to establish life cycle inventory datasets. The study refers to the time period between 2030 and 2050. The datasets were established according to the methodological approach of the Swiss platform “Life Cycle Assessment data in construction”.