Linking the LCA of Forest Bio-Based Products for Construction, Ecosystem Services, and Sustainable Forest Management

Teresa Garnica, Soledad Montilla, José Antonio Tenorio Ríos, Ángel Lora, Antonio J. Molina Herrera and Marta Conde ()
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Teresa Garnica: ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Soledad Montilla: ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
José Antonio Tenorio Ríos: Instituto de Ciencias de la Construcción Eduardo Torroja, CSIC, 28033 Madrid, Spain
Ángel Lora: ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Antonio J. Molina Herrera: ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Marta Conde: ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-21

Abstract: The multifunctional role of forests in supplying renewable biomaterials and delivering ecosystem services (ESs) is often overlooked in standard life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, despite its relevance for sustainable construction. This study developed the BioCons Impact Compensation Model (ICM), which integrates ES into life cycle inventory (LCI) databases and quantifies proprietary BioCons Mitigation Indicators, capturing additional environmental information, ensuring transparency, and preventing greenwashing. Using structural Scots pine in Spain as a case study, the GWP -luluc-roots indicator was found to be 226.84 kg CO 2-eq /FU, representing 36% of the biogenic carbon (616.45 kg CO 2-eq /FU), highlighting the contribution of root-derived carbon to long-term soil carbon storage. The BioCons Mitigation Indicators demonstrate that mitigation generally exceeds environmental impacts, except for HTP-nc-inorganics, with surplus ES available as biocredits to offset emissions in other life cycle stages. Integrating these indicators into environmental product declarations (EPDs) provides a transparent and accurate view of environmental performance. The results validate the hypothesis that forest bio-based construction products (FBCPs) act as carriers of ESs embedded in derived products, supporting more comprehensive and robust sustainability assessments.

Keywords: ecosystem services; LCA; impact mitigation; GWP-luluc; bio-based materials; bio-based products (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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