Environmental footprint

ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL VALUES OF ECO-CONSTRUCTION

Values associated with the three factors of sustainable development

ECONOMIC FACTORS

• Viability: Whose costs of production (from extraction to the marketing of the product) are less than or equal to the sales cost.
• Price: The concept of price/quality ratio of a product only applies when the finished product is made available to the consumer who buys it and uses it.
• Durability: The ability of a product to last a long time and whose quality means that the product and its parts do not have to be replaced very often.
• Local purchase: A product from distribution to consumption that promotes purchasing from local suppliers.
• Local resources: A product whose production and processing chain “operates within a local infrastructure at all stages of the product’s life”, generating the creation of local jobs that are both secure and fairly paid.
• Social Economy: A product of a business model based on a social economy that advocates social reinvestment and/or equitable profit sharing.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

• Respect for the environment: A product whose production, use and disposal at the end of its useful life is low in GHG emissions and toxicity, is environmentally friendly and causes little or no destruction to natural environments.
• Respect of natural cycles: A product whose production, use and disposal at the end of its useful life does not alter, or alters very little, the natural cycles of carbon, nitrogen and water.
• Renewable resources: the raw material used in its production is the result of a resource that is in abundant supply and quickly renewable.
• Lifecycle performance: A product that has a good performance in terms of lifecycle analysis; low energy consumption at all stages of the cycle.
• Zero waste: A product that tends towards the elimination of waste generated in its production, use and eventual disposal. It improves the management of its residual materials by facilitating the implementation of the 3R-R (reduce at source, reuse, recycle, reclaim).
• Certification: A product that has a certification highlighting its environmental merits.

SOCIAL FACTORS

• Health and safety: A product that is harmless to health and safety at all stages of its lifecycle.
• Product affordability: A product whose price is affordable to those of average income.
• Adaptability: A product that is adaptable, or has been adapted, that creates no form of social discrimination.
• Awareness-education: A known product about which we can make an informed and educated choice.
• Pride: A product that is highly regarded and valued and whose production and acquisition engender the pride of both the manufacturer and the buyer.
• Aestheticism: A product having distinctive features and an aestheticism that is characteristic of the community it comes from.