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General comment Data quality:
Time Representativeness: In this LCA the data relating to the usages, emissions and materials, and the data relating to the bespoke background processes for environmental impacts are less than 3 years apart, and also the Ecoinvent database version 3.8. The datasets for the raw material constituents that have the largest environmental impact (being bitumens) are from Ecoinvent V 3.8.
Time Representativeness is considered to be Very good.
Geographical Representativeness: The processes used in the production of the asphalt products are geographically representative, insofar as the production location (Ireland) lies within the region for which the relevant Ecoinvent (version 3.8) and any other bespoke environmental records have been selected. The dataset is up-to-date and representative for the current technology used in the processes of manufacturing the asphalt products.
Geographical Representativeness is considered to be Very good.
Technical Representativeness: Processes and energies used in the process have been modelled exactly as described by the asphalt manufacturer, and are based directly on the production data supplied by the manufacturer, in relation to processes, fuels used and emissions, and without any significant need for improvement.
Technical Representativeness is considered to be Very good.
Allocation:
The source of default unit processes or activities is the Ecoinvent database version 3.8, system model “Allocation, cut-off by classification”. The measurement of environmental impacts in this EPD uses the LCIA methodologies recommended for PEF 3.0. In this EPD, the waste processes are allocated in the relevant module. In the case of the use of secondary materials or energy recovered from secondary fuels, the system boundary between the system under study and the previous system (providing the secondary materials) is set where outputs of the previous system, e.g. materials, products, building elements or energy, reach the end-of-waste state. The modularity and the polluter payer principles have been followed.
Cut-off criteria:
All relevant inputs and outputs - like emissions, energy and materials - have been taken into account in this LCA, and in accordance with EN15804+A2:2019. The study covers at least 95% of the materials and energy per module and at least 99% of the total use of materials and energy of each unit process. Long term emissions have been excluded from the study.
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