ISO 21931-2:2019

Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Framework for methods of assessment of the environmental, social and economic performance of construction works as a basis for sustainability assessment — Part 2: Civil engineering works

This document provides a general framework for improving the quality and comparability of methods for assessing the contribution of civil engineering works and their related external works to sustainable development based on a life cycle approach. This document aims to bridge the gap between regional and national methods for the assessment of the sustainability performance of civil engineering works by providing a common framework for their expression. This document identifies and describes issues to be taken into account in the development and use of methods for the assessment of the sustainability performance for all types of civil engineering works, both new and existing, and it is relevant for the assessment of the environmental, social and economic performance of both new and existing civil engineering works over their entire life cycle. The object of assessment in this document is the civil engineering works itself and its area of influence. NOTE 1 For example, the assessment includes any local civil engineering works beyond the immediate area of the civil engineering works; the transportation of the users of the civil engineering works; and the use and exploitation of the civil engineering works itself. Assessments can be undertaken either for the whole civil engineering works, for a part of the civil engineering works, or for a combination of several civil engineering works. This document excludes environmental, social and economic risk assessment, but the results of a risk assessment can be taken into consideration. This document is intended to be used in conjunction with, and following the principles set out in, ISO 15392 and the ISO 14000 family of International Standards. The evaluation of technical and functional performance of the civil engineering works is outside the scope of this document, but the technical and functional characteristics are considered within this framework by reference to the functional equivalent. The functional equivalent takes into account the technical and functional requirements and forms the basis for comparisons of the results of the assessment. Assessment methods that consider only one or two of the three dimensions of sustainability are outside the scope of this document. This document does not set benchmarks or levels of performance relative to environmental, social and economic aspects and impacts. NOTE 2 Valuation methods, levels, classes or benchmarks can be prescribed in the requirements for environmental, social and economic performance in the client's brief, construction regulations, national standards, national codes of practice, civil engineering works assessment and certification schemes, etc. The rules for methods of assessment to consider in the assessment of environmental, social and economic aspects of operation practices are included within this framework, and the consequences of decisions or actions that influence the environmental, social and economic performance of the object of assessment are identified so that they can be taken into account.

Développement durable dans la construction — Cadre méthodologique de l'évaluation au sens du développement durable des performances environnementales, sociales et économiques des ouvrages de construction — Partie 2: Ouvrages de génie civil

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 08-May-2019
• ICS: 91.040.01 - Buildings in general
• ICS: 93.010 - Civil engineering in general
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 59/SC 17 - Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 59/SC 17/WG 5 - Civil engineering works
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Start Date: 03-Sep-2024
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 21931-2
First edition
2019-05
Sustainability in buildings and civil
engineering works — Framework
for methods of assessment of the
environmental, social and economic
performance of construction
works as a basis for sustainability
assessment —
Part 2:
Civil engineering works
Développement durable dans la construction — Cadre
méthodologique de l'évaluation au sens du développement durable
des performances environnementales, sociales et économiques des
ouvrages de construction —
Partie 2: Ouvrages de génie civil
Reference number
©
ISO 2019
© ISO 2019
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
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ii © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 2
3 Terms and definitions . 2
4 Principles for the sustainability performance assessment of civil engineering works .7
5 Framework for methods of assessment of sustainability performance of civil
engineering works . 9
5.1 General . 9
5.2 Assessment method documentation . 9
5.3 Purpose of the method .10
5.4 System boundary .10
5.5 Statement of assumptions and scenarios .11
5.6 Establishing assessment categories .12
5.7 Civil engineering works life cycle.13
5.8 Methods for quantification of sustainability performance of civil engineering works .17
5.8.1 General.17
5.8.2 Data quality .17
5.8.3 Traceability and transparency .17
5.8.4 Double-counting .18
5.8.5 Functional equivalent .18
5.8.6 Reference levels .19
5.8.7 Aggregation .19
5.8.8 Weighting .19
5.9 Sources of information .19
5.10 Evaluation of assessment results .20
5.10.1 General.20
5.10.2 Comparability of the results . .20
5.11 Assessment report .20
Annex A (informative) Levels of aggregation .23
Bibliography .25
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www .iso
.org/iso/foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 59, Buildings and civil engineering works,
Subcommittee SC 17, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works.
A list of all parts in the ISO 21931 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/members .html.
iv © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

Introduction
It is important to measure and understand the sustainability performance of civil engineering works in
order to assess, communicate and improve their potential impacts on sustainable development.
This document establishes a framework for methods of assessment of the sustainability performance
of civil engineering works and related external works, which is a central part of the process. The
sustainability performance assessment evaluates aspects and impacts to assess the environmental,
social and economic performance of civil engineering works using qualitative and quantitative
indicators measured without value judgements. One of the primary purposes of this document is to
improve the quality of the methods of assessment, which can enable greater comparability of the results
of assessments. Such assessments can be used for benchmarking performance and monitoring progress
towards improvement of performance.
Although there are not as many assessment methods for civil engineering works as there are for
buildings, some can be found. The existence of these methods indicates a trend towards construction
that contributes to sustainable development, whose main objectives are to minimize negative impacts
and maximize positive direct and indirect impacts on sustainability, especially through a focus on
— use of resources (materials, water and energy) and waste generation,
— discharges into water, atmosphere and soil,
— biodiversity and ecosystems,
— social impacts, throughout the value chain, and
— innovative and proactive approach towards selecting the most beneficial and economical
alternatives.
Methods of assessment of the sustainability performance of civil engineering works provide a basis
for demonstrating and communicating the result of efforts to improve sustainability performance
in construction works. The methods typically establish a means of assessing a broad range of
considerations related to sustainability against explicitly declared criteria, and give a summary of
sustainability performance.
Methods of assessment of the sustainability performance of civil engineering works provide:
— a common and verifiable set of references, so that civil engineering works owners, striving for
increasing their beneficial contribution to sustainable development, have a means of measuring,
evaluating and demonstrating that effort;
— a reference, for use as a common basis, by which the civil engineering works owners/managers,
design teams, contractors and suppliers can formulate effective strategies regarding the design,
construction and operation of civil engineering works, with the intent to improve sustainability
performance;
— detailed information on the civil engineering works gathered and organized in such a way that it can
be used to lower operating, financing and insurance costs and increase operating efficiency and life;
— a clear description of the factors considered to be the key sustainable considerations and their
relative importance, thereby assisting the design process.
To achieve the practical goals noted above, methods of assessment of the sustainability performance of
civil engineering works refer to limited criteria and seek a balance between rigor and practicality. The
sustainability performance assessment of civil engineering works uses different types of information.
The results of a sustainability performance assessment of a civil engineering works provide information
on the different types of indicators, the related civil engineering works scenarios and the life cycle
stages included in the assessment. Life-cycle based approaches play an increasingly significant role
for setting performance criteria within methods of assessment of sustainability performance of civil
engineering works. In carrying out assessments, scenarios and a functional equivalent are determined
at the civil engineering works level. Assessment at the civil engineering works level means that the
descriptive model of the works, along with the major technical and functional requirements, has been
defined in the client’s brief or in the regulations.
However, the collection and maintenance of current data sets for the multitude of civil engineering
works systems and elements may not be practically achievable at the moment. Also, the context of
overall civil engineering works performance is important for considering each sustainable criterion.
Considering all these issues, the purpose of this document is to describe the framework and the
principles that apply in the sustainability performance assessment of new and existing civil engineering
works and their related site works, taking into account the various effects these civil engineering works
are likely to have.
Practical relevant rules and recommendations concerning methods for the assessment of the
sustainability performance of civil engineering works, which can exist on either a national or regional
basis, can be examined and improved by the use of a framework for methods of assessment, which is
the basis of this document.
An improvement of the sustainability performance of a civil engineering works requires an appropriate
operation of the civil engineering works over its lifetime. In existing civil engineering works, it can be
enhanced through the use of “sustainability-related” policies and the implementation of management
systems.
This document is one in a suite of documents dealing with sustainability in construction works that
includes the following:
a) ISO 15392, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — General principles;
b) ISO 16745-1, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Carbon metric of an existing
building during use stage — Part 1: Calculation, reporting and communication;
c) ISO 16745-2, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Carbon metric of an existing
building during use stage — Part 2: Verification;
d) ISO 20887, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Design for disassembly and
adaptability of buildings;
e) ISO 21929-1, Sustainability in building construction — Sustainability indicators — Part 1: Framework
for the development of indicators and a core set of indicators for buildings;
f) ISO/TS 21929-2, Sustainability in building construction — Sustainability indicators — Part 2:
Framework for the development of indicators for civil engineering works;
g) ISO 21930, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Core rules for environmental
product declarations of construction products and services;
h) ISO 21931-1, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Framework for methods of
assessment of the environmental, social and economic performance of construction works as a basis for
sustainability assessment — Part 1: Buildings;
i) ISO 21931-2, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Framework for methods of
assessment of the environmental, social and economic performance of construction works as a basis for
sustainability assessment — Part 2: Civil engineering works;
j) ISO/TS 12720, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Guidelines on the application
of the general principles in ISO 15392;
k) ISO/TR 21932, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — A review of terminology.
The relationship among the documents is elaborated in Figure 1.
vi © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

It should be noted that due to the wide range of different types and scale of civil engineering works it is
not practical to include a single core set of indicators within this document. As a result there is a suite
of inter-related standards that define the process of assessing the sustainability performance of civil
engineering works that includes ISO/TS 21929-2, this document and a future standardization work on
systems of indicators for different civil engineering work typologies.
As a suite, they define a methodology that combines rigour, consistence and flexibility in the assessment
of a wide range of civil engineering works.
Figure 1 — Suite of related documents for sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 21931-2:2019(E)
Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering
works — Framework for methods of assessment of
the environmental, social and economic performance
of construction works as a basis for sustainability
assessment —
Part 2:
Civil engineering works
1 Scope
This document provides a general framework for improving the quality and comparability of methods
for assessing the contribution of civil engineering works and their related external works to sustainable
development based on a life cycle approach.
This document aims to bridge the gap between regional and national methods for the assessment of
the sustainability performance of civil engineering works by providing a common framework for their
expression.
This document identifies and describes issues to be taken into account in the development and use of
methods for the assessment of the sustainability performance for all types of civil engineering works,
both new and existing, and it is relevant for the assessment of the environmental, social and economic
performance of both new and existing civil engineering works over their entire life cycle.
The object of assessment in this document is the civil engineering works itself and its area of influence.
NOTE 1 For example, the assessment includes any local civil engineering works beyond the immediate area
of the civil engineering works; the transportation of the users of the civil engineering works; and the use and
exploitation of the civil engineering works itself.
Assessments can be undertaken either for the whole civil engineering works, for a part of the civil
engineering works, or for a combination of several civil engineering works.
This document excludes environmental, social and economic risk assessment, but the results of a risk
assessment can be taken into consideration.
This document is intended to be used in conjunction with, and following the principles set out in,
ISO 15392 and the ISO 14000 family of International Standards.
The evaluation of technical and functional performance of the civil engineering works is outside the
scope of this document, but the technical and functional characteristics are considered within this
framework by reference to the functional equivalent. The functional equivalent takes into account
the technical and functional requirements and forms the basis for comparisons of the results of the
assessment.
Assessment methods that consider only one or two of the three dimensions of sustainability are outside
the scope of this document.
This document does not set benchmarks or levels of performance relative to environmental, social and
economic aspects and impacts.
NOTE 2 Valuation methods, levels, classes or benchmarks can be prescribed in the requirements for
environmental, social and economic performance in the client’s brief, construction regulations, national
standards, national codes of practice, civil engineering works assessment and certification schemes, etc.
The rules for methods of assessment to consider in the assessment of environmental, social and
economic aspects of operation practices are included within this framework, and the consequences of
decisions or actions that influence the environmental, social and economic performance of the object of
assessment are identified so that they can be taken into account.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 6707-1, Buildings and civil engineering works — Vocabulary — Part 1: General terms
ISO 14025:2006, Environmental labels and declarations — Type III environmental declarations —
Principles and procedures
ISO 14040, Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and framework
ISO 14044, Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Requirements and guidelines
ISO 14050, Environmental management — Vocabulary
ISO 15686-1, Buildings and constructed assets — Service life planning — Part 1: General principles and
framework
ISO 15686-2, Buildings and constructed assets — Service life planning — Part 2: Service life prediction
procedures
ISO 15686-7, Buildings and constructed assets — Service life planning — Part 7: Performance evaluation
for feedback of service life data from practice
ISO 15686-8, Buildings and constructed assets — Service-life planning — Part 8: Reference service life and
service-life estimation
ISO/TS 15686-9, Buildings and constructed assets — Service-life planning — Part 9: Guidance on
assessment of service-life data
ISO 21930, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Core rules for environmental product
declarations of construction products and services
ISO/TR 21932, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — A review of terminology
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 6707-1, ISO 14050, ISO/
TR 21932 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https: //www .iso .org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http: //www .electropedia .org/
2 © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

3.1
accessibility
ability for users to access the service(s) that the civil engineering works (3.5) is providing and/or to
access nature
Note 1 to entry: Examples of services that can be provided include water or energy supply and mobility service.
3.2
area of influence
area or combination of areas surrounding a civil engineering works (3.5) that can be affected with
changes to their economical, environmental or social conditions by the civil engineering works’
operations throughout its life cycle (3.18)
Note 1 to entry: The area of influence is variable and dependent on the construction works (3.8) project (3.22),
its location and its life cycle stage. As an overall approach, the area of influence is usually limited to the civil
engineering works itself and its immediate surroundings.
[SOURCE: ISO/TS 21929-2:2015, 3.2]
3.3
avoided impact
benefits and loads that occur as a result of combining functions and thereby avoid the need for additional
(i.e. separate) civil engineering works (3.5)
Note 1 to entry: Avoided impacts can be positive or negative.
3.4
brief
program, US
document that states the requirements for a project (3.22)
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-2:2017, 3.2.18]
3.5
civil engineering works
civil engineering project, US
construction works (3.8) comprising a structure, such as a dam, bridge, road, railway, runway, utilities,
pipeline, or sewerage system, or the result of operations such as dredging, earthwork, geotechnical
processes (3.21), but excluding a building and its associated site works
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2017, 3.1.1.2, modified — The alternative term “civil engineering project, US” has
been deleted; Note 1 to entry has been deleted.]
3.6
client
person or organization initiating and financing a project (3.22) and approving the brief (3.4)
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-2:2017, 3.8.2]
3.7
construction product
item manufactured or processed for incorporation in a civil engineering works (3.5)
Note 1 to entry: Construction products are items supplied by a single responsible body.
Note 2 to entry: In this document, unless otherwise designated, the term construction product is used for any
good(s) or service(s) related to civil engineering works.
Note 3 to entry: Construction assemblies, construction elements and integrated technical systems, incorporated
within a civil engineering works, can be considered construction products.
[SOURCE: ISO 21930:2017, 3.2.2, modified — The wording “construction works” has been replaced with
“civil engineering works”.]
3.8
construction works
construction, US
everything that is constructed or results from construction operations
Note 1 to entry: Construction works covers all buildings and civil engineering works (3.5).
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2017, 3.1.1.1, modified — Original Note 1 to entry has been deleted; new Note 1 to
entry has been added.]
3.9
downstream process
process (3.21) that is carried out after the designated process in the stream of relevant processes
[SOURCE: ISO 21931-1:2010, 3.2]
3.10
economic aspect
aspect of civil engineering works (3.5), part of civil engineering works, processes (3.21) or services
related to their life cycle (3.18) that can cause a change to economic conditions
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:—, 3.11, modified — The wordings “constuction works” and “works” have been
replaced with “civil engineering works”.]
3.11
economic impact
change to the economy, adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from economic aspects (3.10)
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:—, 3.16.1, modified — The word “impact” has been replaced with “change”;
“adverse or beneficial” has been added.]
3.12
economic performance
performance (3.20) of a civil engineering works (3.5) related to its economic impacts (3.11) and economic
aspects (3.10)
3.13
environmental aspect
aspect of civil engineering works (3.5), part of civil engineering works, processes (3.21) or services
related to their life cycle (3.18) that can cause a change to the environment
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:—, 3.12, modified — The wordings “constuction works” and “works” have been
replaced with “civil engineering works”.]
3.14
environmental impact
change to the environment, adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from environmental
aspects (3.13)
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:—, 3.16.2, modified — The word “impact” has been replaced with “change”;
“adverse or beneficial” has been added.]
3.15
environmental performance
performance (3.20) of a civil engineering works (3.5) related to its environmental impacts (3.14) and
environmental aspects (3.13)
Note 1 to entry: The environmental performance is influenced by all processes (3.21) related to the life cycle
(3.18) of the civil engineering works.
Note 2 to entry: Environmental performance can be expressed either quantitatively or qualitatively with
reference to performance requirements or possibly relative to a scale of values or a benchmark.
4 © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

[SOURCE: ISO 21931-1:2010, 3.5, modified — The word “building” has been replaced with “civil
engineering works”.]
3.16
functional equivalent
quantified functional requirements and/or technical requirements for a civil engineering works (3.5) or
construction (part of works) for use as a basis for comparison
[SOURCE: ISO 21931-1:2010, 3.7, modified — The word “building” has been replaced with “civil
engineering works or construction (part of works)”; the word “reference” has been deleted.]
3.17
gate
point at which the construction product (3.7) or material leaves the factory before it becomes an input into
another manufacturing process (3.21) or before it goes to the distributor, a factory or a construction site
[SOURCE: ISO 21930:2017, 3.3.8, modified — The wording “a subsequent manufacturing process” has
been replaced with “another manufacturing process”; the wording “before it is transported to” has been
replaced with “before it goes to”; the wording “another factory” has been replaced with “a factory”.]
3.18
life cycle
all consecutive and interlinked stages in the life of the object under consideration
Note 1 to entry: For consideration of environmental impacts (3.14) and environmental aspects (3.13), the life cycle
comprises all stages, from raw material acquisition or generation from natural resources to end-of-life.
Note 2 to entry: Adapted from the definition of “life cycle” in ISO 14040:2006, 3.1.
[SOURCE: ISO 21930:2017, 3.3.1]
3.19
non-renewable resource
resource that exists in a fixed amount that cannot be naturally replenished or cleansed on a human
time scale
Note 1 to entry: Activities that occur in the technosphere such as recycling are not considered natural
replenishment or cleansing.
Note 2 to entry: In this context, human time scale refers to the typical life time of a human rather than the time
humans have been in existence.
[SOURCE: ISO 21930:2017, 3.6.3, modified — Note 3 to entry has been deleted.]
3.20
performance
observed or predicted in use behaviour of a civil engineering works (3.5) to fulfil required functions
under intended use conditions
Note 1 to entry: Behaviour in this context pertains to functional and technical requirements in use.
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:—, 3.19, modified — The wording “construction product or construction service”
has been replaced with “civil engineering works”; the original Note 1 to entry has been deleted; a new
Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.21
process
series of operations performed to achieve a desired result
[SOURCE: ISO 21931-1:2010, 3.11]
3.22
project
unique process (3.21), consisting of a set of coordinated and controlled activities undertaken to achieve
an objective
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2017, 3.5.2.4]
3.23
reference study period
period of time over which the relevant aspects and impacts of the civil engineering works (3.5) are
analyzed
Note 1 to entry: The reference study period is determined by the client (3.6).
3.24
renewable resource
resource that is grown, naturally replenished or cleansed on a human time scale
EXAMPLE Trees in forests, grasses in grasslands and fertile soil, wind.
Note 1 to entry: A renewable resource is capable of being exhausted but can last indefinitely with proper
stewardship.
Note 2 to entry: Activities that occur in the technosphere such as recycling are not considered natural
replenishment or cleansing.
Note 3 to entry: In this context, human time scale refers to the typical life time of a human rather than the time
humans have been in existence.
[SOURCE: ISO 21930:2017, 3.6.2]
3.25
service life
period of time after installation during which a civil engineering works (3.5) or its component parts
meet or exceed the performance (3.20) requirements
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2017, 3.7.3.84, modified — The word “facility” has been replaced with “civil
engineering works”.]
3.26
social aspect
characteristic of civil engineering works (3.5), parts of civil engineering works, processes (3.21) or
services related to their life cycle (3.18) that can cause a change to society or quality of life
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:—, 3.13, modified — The wordings “constuction works” and “works” have been
replaced with “civil engineering works”.]
3.27
social impact
change to society or quality of life, adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from social
aspects (3.26)
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:—, 3.16.3, modified — The word “impact” has been replaced with “change”;
“adverse or beneficial” has been added.]
3.28
social performance
performance (3.20) of a civil engineering works (3.5) related to its social impacts (3.27) and social
aspects (3.26)
6 © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

3.29
stakeholder
interested party
person or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision or
activity
EXAMPLE Customers, communities, suppliers, regulators, non-governmental organizations, investors and
employees.
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:—, 3.22]
3.30
sustainability performance
combination of environmental performance (3.15), social performance (3.28) and economic performance
(3.12) of a civil engineering works (3.5)
3.31
system boundary
boundary representing physical, process (3.21), temporal and geographical limits of what is included
and what is not included in an assessment
3.32
traceability
ability to trace the history, application or location of what is under consideration
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.6.13, modified — The wording “an object” has been replaced with “what is
under consideration”; Notes 1 and 2 to entry have been deleted.]
3.33
transparency
open, comprehensive and understandable presentation of information
[SOURCE: ISO 14040:2006, 3.7]
3.34
upstream processes
process (3.21) carried out before the designated process in the stream of relevant processes
[SOURCE: ISO 21931-1:2010, 3.15]
4 Principles for the sustainability performance assessment of civil
engineering works
This clause deals with the principles that are important for the application of this document in regards
to the sustainability performance assessment of civil engineering works.
This document provides a system for the assessment of environmental, social and economic
performance of civil engineering works based on a life cycle approach.
The assessment methods shall be credible, transparent and systematic in order to achieve traceability,
transparency and comparability in the results of the assessment.
NOTE 1 The requirements for reporting and communication of the assessment results are given in 5.11.
The assessment methods for environmental, social and economic performance of civil engineering
works developed under this framework take into account performance aspects and impacts that can be
expressed with quantitative and qualitative indicators, which are measured without value judgements,
leading to a clear result for each indicator.
Methodologies for the assessment of the sustainability performance of civil engineering works
shall explicitly define the methods used to take account of the aspects and impacts of the civil
engineering works.
All three dimensions of sustainability of civil engineering works (environmental, social and economic)
are necessary elements in a systematic approach to a sustainability performance assessment. Any
statement or communication on the sustainability performance of a civil engineering works shall
address all three dimensions.
NOTE 2 Assessment of the individual dimensions of sustainability can also be undertaken separately,
depending on the scope of the assessment, in which case statements are limited to only the dimension(s) for
the separate assessment(s) — environmental, social, economic — actually carried out, and not to overall
sustainability assessment.
The sustainability performance of a civil engineering works depends on the characteristics of the
climatic, social, economic and cultural context of the nation, region and site where the civil engineering
works is located.
Subject to the aims and objectives of the assessment, quantitative and qualitative indicators for
measuring the sustainability performance of a civil engineering works should be expressed by absolute
values. Qualitative indicators can often be converted to absolute values. For example, “true=1; false=0”
or “low=1; medium=2; high=3”.
In addition, relative values may be used alongside the absolute values. Relative values refer to given
contexts and should reflect regionally relevant benchmarks as appropriate (see 5.8.6).
NOTE 3 The characteristics and relevance of local contexts can allow for the co-existence of both regional and
national methods for the assessment of the sustainability performance of civil engineering works.
Both regional and national methods for the assessment of the sustainability performance of civil
engineering works may co-exist, based on the different characteristics and relevance of local contexts,
provided the methods conform to the framework requirements described in this document.
To assess the environmental, social and economic performance, the functional equivalent and the
system boundaries for each shall be the same. By reference to the functional equivalent, the results of
assessments can be presented in a systematic way. The functional equivalent, along with the system
boundary, forms the basis for comparison at the civil engineering works level.
Any technical and functional requirements prescribed in the client's brief, in the project specification or
in the applicable regulation shall be taken into account in the description of the functional equivalent.
NOTE 4 For example, the technical and functional requirements can include requirements on structural safety;
safety provided by the civil engineering works; air, water and soil quality; resources efficiency; biodiversity
protection; landscape changes; land use; and noise and vibrations of a civil engineering works or an assembled
system (part of works).
It is advisable to carry out an assessment at the earliest opportunity during the conceptual stages of a
construction or refurbishment project, such as in the initial planning stage, in order to provide a broad
estimate of the environmental performance, social performance and economic performance. As the
project evolves, the assessment may be periodically reviewed and updated to support decision-making.
A final assessment (as-built) should be carried out. The results of this final assessment can be used to
inform all parties concerned.
8 © ISO 2019 – All rights reserved

5 Framework for methods of assessment of sustainability performance of civil
engineering works
5.1 General
This clause gives the minimum requirements and additional recommendations for consideration in
the development, understanding, implementation and improvement of methods of assessment of the
sustainability performance of civil engineering works.
The assessment of the environmental performance shall be based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) in
accordance with ISO 14040, ISO 14044 and additional quantifiable environmental information.
NOTE 1 This does not intend to require that a LCA be undertaken.
The assessment of the economic performance shall be based on cost and financial value.
NOTE 2 Guidance on life cycle costing is provided in ISO 15686-5.
The assessment of the social performance shall take into account risk assessments and consider
users’ satisfaction surveys, human rights, labour rights and health and safety of relevant stakeholders
throughout the life cycle of the construction works.
An assessment method may comprise more than one methodological part: quantification, analytical
and valuation(s). The provisions of this document do not set levels, classes or benchmarks for any
measure of performance.
There is no scientific basis for reducing the results of a life cycle assessment to a single overall score
or number; any such approach is outside the scope of this document. However, calculation rules for
aggregation of indicators may be defined in the national standards or schemes according to national or
local preferences.
5.2 Assessment method documentation
The documentation of the assessment method shall identify
— the body responsible for the development and the maintenance of the method,
— details of stakeholder involvement in the development and validation of the method,
— national/regional/organizational means of recognition of the method and/or its accreditation, and
— processes and procedures for the delivery of the assessment (e.g., workflow, training, communication).
The method shall include and clearly describe
— the object of assessment,
— the purpose of the method (5.3),
— the system boundary (5.4),
— a statement of the assumptions and scenarios (5.5),
— a structured list of the issues for assessment (5.6),
— the life cycle stages of the civil engineering works covered (5.7),
— the method(s) for the quantification of the sustainability performance of the civil engineering
works (5.8),
— all sources of information (generic and specific databases, etc.) and their requirements (5.9),
— an evaluation and interpretation process (5.10),
— the indicators and calculation procedures, and
— the requirements for presentation of the results in reporting and communication (5.11).
In addition to the description of the method, statements regarding the assessment-specific assumptions,
methods for the quantification and sources of information shall be recorded in the report containing
the assessment results.
The methods should not include the interpretation and evaluation of the results of the assessment. The
indicators should be performance-based.
The environmental information from construction products, processes and services for the assessment
of environmental performance of civil engineering works should be provided by the Type III
environmental product declarations in accordance with ISO 21930, when available.
5.3 Purpose of the method
The documentation of the assessment method shall indicate the intended use, which shall be related to
the application of the method and expected use of the assessment results.
The reasons for the assessment of the sustainability performance of a civil engineering works often
vary, depending on the particular circumstances. A method for the assessment of the sustainability
performance of a civil engineering works provides a means for the measurement and evaluation of the
various aspects and potential impacts of a civil engineering works.
NOTE 1 Intended uses can include, for example:
— to evaluate options for
—  procurement of a civil engineering works,
—  design and construction of a new civil engineering works,
—  improving operation of an existing civil engineering works,
—  designing for retrofit and refurbishment during the operating phase,
— the analysis of the sustainability performance of an existing civil engineering works,
— the deconstruction and disposal at the end of the operating phase,
— monitoring the progress toward the improvement of performance,
— use as the basis for benchmarking, and/or
— communication to interested parties.
5.4 System boundary
The documentation of the assessment method shall indicate the physical scope (e.g., the object
of assessment), the temporal scope and the energy and mass flow(s) that are considered or not
considered in the assessment. Whenever possible, the method of assessment shall include t
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