Report rep026 : Towards Sustainable Roofing - Report of CIB W.83/RILEM TC 166-RMS - Environmental Task Group

The International Conference on Climate Change held during 1997 in Kyoto, challenged governments to improve on their national environmental performance in terms of reducing both pollution and energy demand. To work towards these desirable goals the concept of ‘sustainable development’ is being actively promoted in the construction and property industries in some countries.
There is a genuine interest among enlightened building owners and specifiers in adopting environmental objectives, as has been found from the numbers of enquiries arising from articles published in specifier magazines. This has been recognised by a few manufacturers who now promote their products’ green attributes in marketing campaigns. In many countries a young generation has grown up in a culture sympathetic to ‘green’ issues and today many colleges and universities include environmental studies as part of their normal coursework.
The challenge facing the roofing industry is to translate this interest and goodwill into practical guidelines that will lead to improvements in the long-term performance of roofs, within a given financial budget. The purpose of this Report is to share the results of the work of the Technical Committee.

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