ISO 21928-2:2023

Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works - Sustainability indicators - Part 2: Framework for the development of indicators for civil engineering works

This document establishes a set of common aspects and impacts for all typologies of civil engineering works, and identifies core sets of environmental, social and economic aspects and impacts for each typology of civil engineering works defined. The common core set of aspects and impacts described in this document are applicable to all types of civil engineering works. In addition, this document describes specific core sets of aspects and impacts for different typologies of civil engineering works (industrial process infrastructures; linear infrastructures; dams and other fluvial works; maritime works; public spaces; and other civil engineering works not contained in the previous typologies). Further, the document gives rules for establishing a system of indicators and describes how to use sustainability indicators regarding civil engineering works. This document does not provide guidelines for the weighting of indicators or the aggregation of assessment results.

Titre manque — Partie 2: Titre manque

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 11-Apr-2023
• ICS: 91.040.01 - Buildings 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: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 12-Apr-2023
• Due Date: 17-Mar-2023
• Completion Date: 12-Apr-2023

Relations

• Revises: ISO/TS 21929-2:2015 - Sustainability in building construction - Sustainability indicators - Part 2: Framework for the development of indicators for civil engineering works
• Effective Date: 23-Apr-2020

Overview

ISO 21928-2:2023 - "Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works - Sustainability indicators - Part 2" provides a framework for developing sustainability indicators for civil engineering works (CEW). It establishes common aspects and impacts across all CEW typologies and identifies core environmental, social and economic indicator sets for specific typologies (industrial process infrastructures; linear infrastructures; dams and fluvial works; maritime works; public spaces; and other CEW). The document explains rules for creating indicator systems, how to use indicators for assessment and decision support, and requirements for reporting and communication. It does not prescribe weighting or aggregation methods for indicators.

Key technical topics and requirements

• Framework & principles
  • General rules for indicator development, life‑cycle approach, and definition of area of influence.
  • Relationship to other standards and general sustainability principles.
• Environmental aspects and impacts
  • Water management, energy management, material management, waste management, emissions to air/water/soil, noise/vibrations/light, landscape changes, ecosystem health, land‑use changes.
• Social aspects and impacts
  • Accessibility, adaptability, population effects, job creation, cultural heritage, stakeholder involvement, human rights, resilience, health and comfort, neighbourhood impacts, maintenance, safety/security, sourcing, social equity.
• Economic aspects and impacts
  • Life‑cycle costs, external costs, effects on local economy, sustainable funding, social internal rate of return, management mechanisms.
• Development of indicator systems
  • Rules for selecting core and additional indicators, usability guidance, data sources, reporting boundaries and scenarios, and communication of results.
• Normative and informative support
  • Annex A lists core indicators by CEW typology; other annexes cover cost/revenue categories, risk evaluation, UN Sustainable Development Goals mapping, and an example of decision support.

Practical applications and users

ISO 21928-2:2023 is intended for professionals and organizations involved in planning, design, construction, operation and governance of civil engineering works, including:

• Owners and asset managers using indicators for performance monitoring and maintenance planning.
• Designers and engineers integrating sustainability criteria into project alternatives.
• Policy makers and regulators defining disclosure or procurement requirements.
• Sustainability assessors and consultants developing indicator systems and reporting frameworks.
• Researchers and educators aligning CEW sustainability metrics with UN SDGs and life‑cycle approaches.

Related standards

• ISO 15392 - general principles of sustainability in building construction
• ISO 14000 series - environmental management systems
• ISO 26000 - social responsibility guidance
• Other parts of the ISO 21928 series and the replaced ISO/TS 21929‑2:2015

Keywords: ISO 21928-2:2023, sustainability indicators, civil engineering works, sustainability framework, life‑cycle approach, environmental social economic indicators, core indicators, reporting and communication.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 21928-2
First edition
2023-04
Sustainability in buildings and civil
engineering works — Sustainability
indicators —
Part 2:
Framework for the development of
indicators for civil engineering works
Reference number
© ISO 2023
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
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Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .v
Introduction . vi
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 2
4 General rules for sustainability indicators development and its framework .8
4.1 General . 8
4.2 Life cycle approach . 9
4.3 Area of influence . 10
4.4 Civil engineering works typologies . 11
4.5 General principles and relationship to other relevant standards. 11
4.5.1 General principles and procedures . 11
4.5.2 ISO 15392 — General principles of sustainability in building construction .12
4.5.3 ISO 14000 — Management systems standards .12
4.5.4 ISO 26000 — Social responsibility standard .12
4.6 Requirements for the development of indicators . 13
4.7 Framework of sustainability indicators . 14
4.7.1 General . 14
4.7.2 Issues for the development of environmental indicators.15
4.7.3 Issues for the development of social indicators . 16
4.7.4 Issues for the development of economic indicators . 17
5 Set of aspects and impacts .17
5.1 General . 17
5.2 Description of environmental aspects and impacts . 18
5.2.1 General . 18
5.2.2 Water management . 18
5.2.3 Energy management . 20
5.2.4 Material management . 21
5.2.5 Waste management . .22
5.2.6 Emissions to environment (air, water and soil) .22
5.2.7 Noise, vibrations and light impacts . 26
5.2.8 Landscape changes . 26
5.2.9 Ecosystem health . 27
5.2.10 Land use changes .28
5.3 Description of social aspects and impacts .29
5.3.1 General .29
5.3.2 Accessibility .29
5.3.3 Adaptability . 31
5.3.4 Population system . 32
5.3.5 Job creation . 32
5.3.6 Cultural heritage .33
5.3.7 Stakeholders’ involvement.34
5.3.8 Human rights . 35
5.3.9 Resilience . 35
5.3.10 Health and comfort . 43
5.3.11 Impacts on the neighbourhood. 45
5.3.12 Maintenance and maintainability .49
5.3.13 Safety/security .49
5.3.14 Sourcing of materials and services .50
5.3.15 Social equity . 51
5.4 Description of economic aspects and impacts . 51
5.4.1 General . 51
iii
5.4.2 Life-cycle costs . 51
5.4.3 External costs . 52
5.4.4 Effects on local economy . 52
5.4.5 Sustainable funding .53
5.4.6 Social internal rate of return . 53
5.4.7 Management mechanisms . . 53
6 Development of a system of sustainability indicators .53
6.1 General .53
6.2 Rules for developing a system of indicators .54
6.3 Usability of sustainability indicators . 55
6.4 Users of indicators .56
7 Reporting and communication .57
7.1 General . 57
7.2 Information on the report . 57
7.3 Statement of boundaries, scenarios used and additional functions considered in
the assessment . . .58
7.4 Data sources . .58
7.5 Communication of assessment results .58
7.5.1 General .58
7.5.2 Simplifications and additional remarks . 59
Annex A (normative) Core indicators by civil engineering works (CEW) typology.60
Annex B (informative) Cost and revenue categories .72
Annex C (informative) Evaluation of risks .77
Annex D (informative) Relation between the sustainability indicators in this document
and the UN Sustainable Development Goals .79
Annex E (informative) Example of utilization of indicators for decision support in the
selection of alternatives in civil engineering projects .82
Bibliography .84
iv
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.
This first edition cancels and replaces ISO/TS 21929-2:2015, which has been technically revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— new indicators are provided;
— core and additional indicators and some specific indicators for different typologies of CEW are
listed in Annex A;
— the relationship between the indicators and United Nations SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)
is addressed.
A list of all parts in the ISO 21928 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.
v
Introduction
This document describes and provides guidelines for the development of sustainability indicators
related to civil engineering works and defines the aspects and impacts of civil engineering works to
consider when developing systems of sustainability indicators.
These guidelines form a basis for the suite of ISO/TC 59/SC 17 standards intended to address specific
issues and aspects of sustainability relevant to civil engineering works. The issue of sustainable
development is broad and of global concern and, as such, involves all communities and stakeholders.
Both current and future needs define the extent to which economic, environmental and social aspects
are considered in a sustainable development process.
The built environment (buildings and civil engineering works) is a key element in determining quality
of life and contributes to cultural identity and heritage. As such, it is an important factor in the
appreciation of the quality of the environment in which people live and work.
The built environment is highly important for sustainable development because:
— it is a key sector in national economies;
— it has a significant impact on poverty reduction through the provision of improved basic economic
and social services within the built environment;
— it is one of the single largest industrial sectors and, while providing value and employment, it uses
considerable resources and contributes to the transformation of areas, with consequential impacts
on economic and social conditions and the environment;
— it represents a significant share of the economic assets of individuals, organizations and nations,
providing societies with their physical and functional environment;
— it has considerable opportunity to show improvement relative to its economic, environmental and
social impacts.
While the challenge of sustainable development is global, the strategies for addressing sustainability
in civil engineering works are essentially local and differ in context and content from region to region.
These strategies reflect the context, the preconditions and the priorities and needs, not only in the
built environment, but also in the social environment. This social environment includes social equity,
cultural issues, traditions, heritage issues, human health and comfort, social infrastructure and safe
and healthy environments.
In addition, these strategies can include poverty reduction, job creation, access to safe, affordable
and healthy shelter, and loss of livelihoods. These aspects are closely related to the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). For this reason, in Annex D, the relation of the provided
indicators to these SDG is shown.
This document defines a framework for the development of sustainability indicators for civil engineering
works based on the premise that civil engineering works contribute to improving the economic, social
and environmental aspects at local, regional and global levels with minimum adverse impact. This
document follows the general principles presented in ISO 15392.
Indicators are figures or other qualitative or descriptive measures that enable information on a complex
phenomenon, such as, environmental impact, to be simplified into a form that is relatively easy to use
and understand.
The four main functions of indicators are quantification, simplification, communication and decision
making. Changes in a civil engineering works over time and the development of changes in relation to
stated objectives and targets should be monitored with the help of indicators.
vi
When developing and selecting indicators, the starting point is the identification of the main users and
user needs. Sustainability indicators for civil engineering works are needed in decision-making by
several stakeholders, such as:
— public bodies and policy makers;
— investors, owners and promoters;
— planners, developers and designers;
— governmental and non-governmental organizations (considering interest groups both at national
and at local level);
— manufacturers of products;
— contractors;
— operators and maintainers;
— users and other stakeholders who are given service by the infrastructure; and
— local residents.
An example of utilization of indicators for decision support in the selection of alternatives is provided
in Annex E.
Sustainability indicators, as well as sets and systems of indicators, for the specification, assessment and
representation of the contribution of a civil engineering works to sustainable development can be used
in many ways. For example, among others, their application can support the following:
— design and decision-making process(es) during the planning and design stage of a civil engineering
works (e.g. incorporation in the design of sustainable material, technologies, processes and other
components);
— development and application of assessment methods and certification systems;
— specification and verification of environmental and social requirements in the context of
procurement;
— indicating the civil engineering performance (e.g. marketing);
— measuring, monitoring or evaluating the performance and achievement of sustainability objectives
over the different life cycle stages of the civil engineering works;
— identifying critical trends, both positive and negative, in the development and operation of civil
engineering works;
— accepting responsibility for impacts on the environment and the society;
— representation of activities and results in the context of responsibility towards the economy,
environment and society (e.g. sustainable development reporting).
NOTE The monitoring and evaluation of objectives can contribute to the continual improvement related to a
specific or group of civil engineering works.
Aspects and impacts are the basis of the framework for the development of sustainability indicators
for assessing the sustainability performance of new or existing civil engineering works, related to their
design, construction, operation, maintenance, refurbishment and end-of-life. The indicators developed
from these sets of aspects and impacts provide measures to express how the performance of a civil
engineering works contributes to sustainability and sustainable development. The indicators developed
based on these sets represent aspects of civil engineering works that potentially impact on issues of
concern related to sustainability and sustainable development.
vii
The object of consideration in this document is a civil engineering works, a part of the civil engineering
works or a combination of several civil engineering works.
This document is one in a suite of International standards dealing with sustainability in buildings and
civil engineering works, which includes ISO 15392, ISO 21929-1, ISO 21930, ISO 21931-1, ISO 21931-2,
along with the terminology of sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works defined by
ISO/TR 21932. The relationship among these International standards is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 — Suite of related international standards for sustainability in buildings and civil
engineering works
Figure 2 illustrates how the assessment of the environmental, economic and social performances fits
within the concept of the sustainability assessment of a civil engineering works.
viii
NOTE The outer box with the thick dotted line represents the area within the scope of this document.
Figure 2 — Concept of sustainability assessment of civil engineering works
Indicators related to technical and functional performance are beyond the scope of this document.
Technical and functional characteristics are taken into account here by reference to the functional
equivalent, which also forms a basis for comparison of the results.
This document supports the development of indicators as a basis for quantification of the contribution
of the assessed civil engineering works to sustainable construction and sustainable development.
Third parties’ expectations and needs include those from societal, NGOs and local communities.
Environmental, social and/or economic requirements for the civil engineering works (based on the
client´s brief, as part of third parties’ expectations and needs or imposed by regulation) are taken into
account. Thus, they are part of the communication and included in the report . However, they are not
assessed.
This document adapts general sustainability principles for civil engineering works and follows the
principles set out in ISO 15392 and, where appropriate, is intended to be used in conjunction with, and
following the principles set out in, ISO 26000, ISO 14040 and the family of International Standards that
includes ISO 14020, ISO 14021, ISO 14024 and ISO 14025. Where deviation occurs, this document goes
beyond the requirements of these standards.
ix
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 21928-2:2023(E)
Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works —
Sustainability indicators —
Part 2:
Framework for the development of indicators for civil
engineering works
1 Scope
This document establishes a set of common aspects and impacts for all typologies of civil engineering
works, and identifies core sets of environmental, social and economic aspects and impacts for each
typology of civil engineering works defined.
The common core set of aspects and impacts described in this document are applicable to all types
of civil engineering works. In addition, this document describes specific core sets of aspects and
impacts for different typologies of civil engineering works (industrial process infrastructures;
linear infrastructures; dams and other fluvial works; maritime works; public spaces; and other civil
engineering works not contained in the previous typologies).
Further, the document gives rules for establishing a system of indicators and describes how to use
sustainability indicators regarding civil engineering works.
This document does not provide guidelines for the weighting of indicators or the aggregation of
assessment results.
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 1996-2:2017, Acoustics — Description, measurement and assessment of environmental noise — Part 2:
Determination of sound pressure levels
ISO 2631 (all parts), Mechanical vibration and shock — Evaluation of human exposure to whole-body
vibration
ISO 14020, Environmental statements and programmes for products — Principles and general requirements
ISO 14040, Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and framework
ISO 15392:2019, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — General principles
ISO 15686-1:2011, 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 15686-5:2017, Buildings and constructed assets — Service life planning — Part 5: Life-cycle costing
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
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology 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/
3.1
airport
area containing an airfield and facilities for handling passengers and cargo
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2020, 3.1.3.12]
3.2
area of influence
area or combination of areas surrounding a civil engineering works (3.6) that can be affected with
changes to their economic, environmental or social conditions by the civil engineering works’
operations throughout its life cycle (3.23)
Note 1 to entry: The area of influence is variable and dependent on the civil engineering works project, 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 and neighbourhoods.
3.3
avoided emissions
emissions that are not produced (are avoided) as a result of the implementation of voluntary initiatives
or good practices
3.4
built environment
collection of man-made or induced physical objects located in an area or region
Note 1 to entry: When treated as a whole, the built environment typically is taken to include buildings,
external works (landscaped areas), infrastructure (3.20) and other construction works within the area under
consideration.
[SOURCE: ISO 21929-1:2011, 3.7, modified — Note 2 to entry has been removed.]
3.5
civil engineering work
work of constructing civil engineering works (3.6)
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2020, 3.5.1.3]
3.6
civil engineering works
construction works comprising a structure (3.40), such as a dam (3.9), bridge, road (3.35), rail-transit
(3.30), runway, utilities, pipeline (3.28), or sewerage system (3.38), or the result of operations such as
dredging, earthwork (3.11), geotechnical processes, but excluding a building and its associated site
works
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2020, 3.1.1.2]
3.7
system boundary
set of criteria specifying which unit processes are part of the specific analysis of a civil engineering
works (3.6)
[SOURCE: ISO 14044:2006, 3.32 modified — Reference to “a product system” has been replaced by “the
specific analysis of a civil engineering works”; note 1 to entry has been removed.]
3.8
construction work
activity of forming a civil engineering works (3.6)
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2020, 3.5.1.1, modified — The alternative term "construction, US" and note 1 to
entry have been removed; "activities" has been changed to "activity"; "construction works" has been
changed to "a civil engineering works".]
3.9
dam
barrier constructed to retain water to raise its level, form a reservoir, or reduce or prevent flooding
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2020, 3.1.2.22]
3.10
dock
partially enclosed or sheltered area of water where vessels may be moored or docked, used for shipping
3.11
earthwork
work of excavating, or the raising or sloping of ground
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2020, 3.5.1.6, modified — The alternative terms "excavation" and "work, US" have
been removed.]
3.12
economic aspect
characteristic of civil engineering works (3.6), part of works, processes or services related to their life
cycle (3.23), that can cause change to economic conditions
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:2019, 3.12, modified — “construction works” has been replaced by “civil
engineering works”.]
3.13
energy efficiency
measure of energy use against a baseline
EXAMPLE An energy efficient lamp which produces the same amount of light as a conventional lamp but
uses up to 75 % less energy to do so.
3.14
environmental aspect
characteristic of civil engineering works (3.6), part of works, processes or services related to their life
cycle (3.23), that can cause change to environment
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:2019, 3.13, modified — “construction works” has been replaced by “civil
engineering works”.]
3.15
external costs
costs associated with an asset that are not necessarily reflected in the transaction costs between
provider and consumer and that, collectively, are referred to as externalities
Note 1 to entry: These costs may include business staffing, productivity and user costs; these can be taken into
account in a life-cycle cost (3.24) analysis but are to be explicitly identified.
[SOURCE: ISO 15686-5:2017, 3.1.6]
3.16
impact
the result of a change or existing condition that may be adverse or beneficial
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:2019, 3.17]
3.17
impact category
class representing an economic, environmental or social issue(s) of concern (areas of protection) to
which analysis (assessment) results may be assigned
Note 1 to entry: Issues of concern can involve either impacts (3.16) or aspects related to the economy, the
environment or the society.
[SOURCE: ISO 21929-1:2011, 3.15, modified — Note 2 to entry has been removed.]
3.18
indicator
quantitative, qualitative or descriptive measure representative of one or more impact categories (3.17)
Note 1 to entry: Periodic evaluation and monitoring using indicators can show direction of any impact (3.16).
[SOURCE: ISO 21929-1:2011, 3.16, modified — Note 2 to entry has been removed.]
3.19
indirect indicator
indicator (3.18) that does not express the subject of interest directly or only expresses it in a proxy way
3.20
infrastructure
civil engineering works (3.6), part of the civil engineering works or combination of several civil
engineering works
Note 1 to entry: In this document, the term "infrastructure" is sometimes used as a synonym for civil engineering
works.
Note 2 to entry: Use of the preferred term, infrastructure, is derived from the definition of civil engineering
works in ISO 15392.
3.21
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 21931-1:2022, 3.5.6]
3.22
issue of concern
aspect(s) of the economy, the environment or the society that can be impacted by civil engineering works
(3.6), goods or services
EXAMPLE Asset value, cultural heritage, resources, human health and comfort, social infrastructure.
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:2019, 3.3 — The preferred term to designate this concept has been changed from
‘areas of concern’ to ‘issue of concern’ and the admitted terms removed. “Construction works” has been
replaced by “civil engineering works”.]
3.23
life cycle
all consecutive and interlinked stages in the life of the object under consideration
Note 1 to entry: For consideration of environmental impacts and environmental aspects (3.14), the life cycle
comprises all stages, from raw material acquisition or generation of natural resources to end-of-life.
Note 2 to entry: For consideration of economic impacts and economic aspects (3.12), in terms of costs, the life
cycle comprises all stages from construction to decommissioning. A period of analysis (3.27) can be chosen to be
different from the life cycle, see ISO 15686-5.
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:2019, 3.19]
3.24
life-cycle cost
cost of an asset or its parts throughout its life cycle (3.23), while fulfilling its performance (3.26)
requirements
[SOURCE: ISO 15686-1:2011, 3.11, modified — The abbreviated term "LCC" has been removed.]
3.25
linear infrastructure
civil engineering works (3.6) characterized by its length, that transfers persons, materials or energy
from one specific point to an end point
Note 1 to entry: It includes civil engineering works such as roads (3.35), rail-transits (3.30), bridges, pipelines
(3.28) or channels.
3.26
performance
observed (or predicted) behaviour of a civil engineering works (3.6), construction product or
construction service in fulfilling (to fulfil) required functions or intended use conditions
Note 1 to entry: Performance in this context pertains to functional and technical requirements in use.
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:2019, 3.20, modified — “construction works” has been replaced by “civil
engineering works”.]
3.27
period of analysis
period of time over which life-cycle costs (3.24) or whole-life costs (3.44) are analysed
Note 1 to entry: The period of analysis is determined by the client.
[SOURCE: ISO 15686-5:2017, 3.3.6]
3.28
pipeline
long continuous line of pipes, including ancillary equipment, used for transporting liquids or gases
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2020, 3.1.2.30]
3.29
primary energy resource
energy resource that has not been subjected to any conversion or transformation process
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-3:2022, 3.6.22, modified — The word “energy” has replaced by "energy resource".]
3.30
rail-transit
national or regional transport system for guided passage of wheeled vehicles on rails
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2020, 3.1.3.3, modified — The term has been changed from "railway" or "railroad,
US" to "rail-transit".]
3.31
recovery
waste (3.43) treatment operation that serves a purpose in replacing other resources or prepares waste
for such a use
3.32
recycling
recovery (3.31) operation by which waste (3.43) materials are reprocessed into products, materials or
substances
Note 1 to entry: This can be done by “upcycling or high-level-recycling or recycling in closed cycles” or ”low-level-
recycling or downcycling in open cycles”.
3.33
resilience
ability to resist, adapt to, or quickly recover from a potentially disruptive event, whether natural or
manmade in order to maintain or restore the intended service
3.34
re-use
operation by which products or components previously used are used again, without reprocessing, as
products, materials or substances
3.35
road
way mainly for vehicles
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2020, 3.1.3.1]
3.36
secondary energy source
energy source recovered from a previous use or from waste (3.43) which substitutes primary energy
sources
3.37
set of indicators
non-structured list of indicators (3.18)
[SOURCE: ISO 21929-1:2011, 3.30]
3.38
sewerage system
system of sewers and ancillary works that conveys the contents to a sewage treatment works or another
place of disposal
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2020, 3.3.4.40, modified — The alternative term "sewage system, US" has been
removed.]
3.39
social aspect
characteristic of civil engineering works (3.6), part of works, processes or services related to their life
cycle (3.23) that can cause change to society or quality of life
[SOURCE: ISO 15392:2019, 3.14, modified — “construction works” has been replaced by “civil
engineering works”.]
3.40
structure
civil engineering works (3.6) having an organized combination of connected parts designed to provide
some measure of rigidity
3.41
sustainability indicator
indicator (3.18) related to economic, environmental, or social impacts
[SOURCE: ISO 21929-1:2011, 3.33]
3.42
system of indicators
structured list of indicators (3.18)
[SOURCE: ISO 21929-1:2011, 3.34]
3.43
waste
substances or objects that the original holder has disposed of or intends to or is required to dispose of
Note 1 to entry: In this document, this concept is not confined to hazardous waste.
Note 2 to entry: Adapted from the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and Their Disposal (22 March 1989), Article 2 Definitions, Item 1. The wording has been simplified and
the reference to national law as the basis for any requirements has been removed.
[SOURCE: ISO 21929-1:2011, 3.37]
3.44
whole-life cost
all significant and relevant initial and future costs and benefits of an asset, throughout its life cycle
(3.23), while fulfilling the performance (3.26) requirements
[SOURCE: ISO 15686-5:2017, 3.1.14, modified — The abbreviated term "WLC" has been removed.]
3.45
whole-life costing
methodology for systematic economic consideration of all whole-life costs (3.44) and benefits over a
period of analysis (3.27), as defined in the agreed scope
Note 1 to entry: The projected costs or benefits may include external costs (3.15) (including, for example, finance,
business costs, income from land sale, user costs).
Note 2 to entry: Whole-life costing can address a period of analysis that covers the entire life cycle (3.23) or (a)
selected stage(s) or periods of interest thereof.
[SOURCE: ISO 15686-5:2017, 3.1.15, modified — Note 3 to entry has been removed.]
4 General rules for sustainability indicators development and its framework
4.1 General
There are several issues that shall be considered when expressing or describing an assessment of
the contribution which a civil engineering works has on achieving sustainability and sustainable
development with the help of indicators.
Indicators are quantitative, qualitative or descriptive measures representative of one or more impact
categories or classes of economic, environmental or social issues of concern, to which analysis
(assessment) results may be assigned. An indicator is intended to be relevant and representative of a
wider, more complex issue, which it helps to illustrate. The use of indicators reduces the complexity of an
issue that is to be assessed and allows the assessment of issues that in themselves are not measurable.
When assessing or setting targets for the contribution of a civil engineering works to sustainability,
the use of other sustainability indicators may be relevant depending on the specific circumstances of
the civil engineering typology and location. Indicators can address economic, environmental and social
impacts directly as well as issues that have indirect consequences on such impacts. In some cases, the
indicators address more than just a single aspect of sustainability.
NOTE For instance, the hypothetical indicator “reused excavation material”, that can be developed under
the aspect “use of material resources” can be used to measure the surplus of excavated material that is reused
or recycled on site, instead of taken to landfill. This indicator can address economic, social and environmental
impacts, as detailed below.
— Economic impacts: The higher the excavated surplus material is reus
...