Natural Resources

Water

The concentration of sulphate in groundwater highly depends on the nature of the natural ground: in gypsum areas groundwater may be saturated (1.45g of sulphate per litre) and in this case the addition of gypsum will not change the sulphate concentration. This is typically the case for waste from gypsum mining (February 2006).

Gypsum and Water-en .pdf

Emissions

Emissions Trading Scheme

The Gypsum Industry, although a low CO2 emitter from fuel
oxidization only, agrees on its duty to contribute to the necessary reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, but it is very worried about being explicitly listed in Annex I when other building materials activities (for instance autoclaved aerated concrete, processed wood, calcium silicate bricks, lightweight calcium silicate boards and tiles) are not, leading to unfair competition without improving the emissions.

Position Paper-Background -en-February 2008.pdf

Position Paper-Amendments -en-February 2008.pdf

Products

Eurogypsum Key Messages on Sustainable Production and Consumption

Eurogypsum calls on the Commission to

• Maintain it efforts to promote life cycle based environmental policies as a mean for more science-based and coherent thinking;
• Refocus its climate change policy and related issues (energy efficiency) within the long term perspective of coherent life-cycle based environmental policies and incentives;
• To continue promoting the LCA platform of the European Commission. This will enable in the longer term to take a full life cycle approach, for more cost-efficient and flexible measures;
• To promote eco-design for non-energy products wisely taking into account the characteristics of the industry where the products are used (26 September 2007) .

Key Messages on SCP -en.pdf

Market-Based Instruments

Eurogypsum PP on Green Paper MBI -en.pdf

TC 350: Sustainability in Buildings

The first Objective of TC 350 is to develop common rules for the assessment of the environmental performance of new and existing buildings within the framework of integrated performance of buildings.

Construction Products

Eurogypsum advocates that the declaration of products should only cover the environmental performances in accordance  with ISO standards that the TC 350 Business Plan supports. In this case, the life-cycle analysis should be carried out from cradle to grave (including recycling and dismantling but excluding the use phase of the building as this is already covered by the life-cycle of the building). The Environmental Products Declaration is then used in  a business to business context (B2B), not in a business the consumers context(B2C) (29 March 2007).

Eurogypsum PP on TC350 -en.pdf

Energy Efficiency

In view of the fact that those gypsum plasterboards together with insulating products offers a good technological and energy efficient solution at good prices, Eurogypsum would like to highlight the fact that the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive has enormous potential, so long as it is purposefully implemented. It is already clear that, whilst some regions and some governments are determined to maximise the opportunities this Directive offers, other have declared their intention to deliver only the most perfunctory, minimalist compliance. It is vital that the Commission ensures that best practice in delivering this directive is replicated throughout the Union (March 2006).

Eurogypsum PP on Energy Efficiency -en.pdf

Revision of the Construction Products Directive

Eurogypsum advocates to simplify the current Directive in order to do better regulation for an ambitious strategy to reduce the administrative burden of existing regulation and particularly of the Conctrustion Products Directive. We are convinced that our proposal will sharply reduce the current administrative management of the CPD both at EU level, Member States level and Industry level.

Eurogypsum position paper on CPR -en.pdf

Waste

By-Product: FGD Gypsum

Eurogypsum considers that FGD Gypsum is a by product -that the power plants do not wish to “discard”, within the meaning set out in Article 1(a) of Directive 75/442/EEC- and not a waste of the power plant process as:

a. the production of FGD Gypsum is a technical and commercial choice;

b. power plants are specifically designed or re-designed, built and operated to produce this product;

c. it is primarily intended for use by the Gypsum Industry in the production of gypsum-based products;

d. it meets quality standards and product specifications;

e. the FGD Gypsum supplied to the Gypsum Industry is certain of being used for the production of gypsum-based products;

f. FGD Gypsum is used as a direct substitute for natural gypsum, a material which has been in use in construction for thousands of years;

g. FGD Gypsum is directly used for the production of gypsum-based products, with less further processing than is actually required for natural gypsum;

h. FGD Gypsum is not classified as waste within the OECD Decision; i. FGD gypsum has an EINECS number and is expected to be treated as a phase-in substance under REACH and will be regulated under that legislation (September 2006).

Health and Safety

Musculoskeletal Disorders at Work

Eurogypsum suggests a risk assessment approach to manual handling rather than the setting of mandatory weight and/or dimensions limits which do not take actual risk of injuries into account. Proper risk assessment should take into account site specific logistics and practice, mass and dimensions, the use of mechanical aids and working practices (March 2007).

IMA and Eurogypsum Position on work-releated musculoskeletal disorders -en.pdf