The European Commission launched a public consultation on sustainable buildings on 9 July 2013. The intention of the Commission was to collect views and further information on the possibility of introducing EU-wide measures to improve the environmental performance of buildings. The consultation comprised an extensive questionnaire (53 pages) and focused on resource use and related environmental impacts across the lifecycle of a building. The closing date for the consultation was 1 October 2013.

Cerame-Unie discussed the first set of replies at the Cerame-Unie Environment Committee meeting that took place on 17 September 2013. On behalf of all ceramic sectors, Cerame-Unie replied to the multiple choice questionnaire and stressed the following messages:

• The European ceramic industry supports voluntary Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and the CEN/TC 350 methodology;
• The still underestimated durability of ceramic construction products contributes to sustainable buildings;
• In order to draw a complete environmental profile of buildings, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study could include additional environmental impact indicators;
• The European ceramic industry supports the development of a common EU market for secondary materials in order to reach the target set for construction and demolition waste.

In addition to this set of replies, Cerame-Unie also helped Construction Products Europe to draft their answers to the consultation.