Tools and methods for environmental assessment of building products—methodological analysis of six selected approaches

Six approaches to the environmental assessment of building products were analysed, using floorings as an example. The approaches were an LCA study, an eco-label, two ecoguides, a product declaration and an environmental concept (The Natural Step). The analysis focused on the nature of each approach, the types of decision-maker targeted, the overall purpose, the object analysed, the perspective, the dimensions investigated, the character of the approach, the basis for comparisons, system boundaries, types of data, and the evaluation and interpretation of results. It was found that different approaches answer different questions and that stakeholders may need to use different tools for external communication, external decision-making support, and internal development