Flanders has the ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector by 46 % by 2030. It also aims to reduce the material footprint of Flemish consumption (including construction) by 30 % by 2030 and by 75 % by 2050. ACR+ member OVAM tested various optimisation strategies to reduce the environmental impact of buildings using TOTEM (Tool to Optimise the Total Environmental impact of Materials), a calculation tool to optimise the choice of materials for a building developed by ACR+ members OVAM, Bruxelles Environnement and Wallonia.

The total environmental impact (expressed in €/m² Gross Floor Area) is divided into:  energy consumption during the use of the building (greenhouse gas emissions) the use of materials during the entire life cycle (extraction of raw materials, processing of raw materials into building materials, installation on the building site, maintenance and replacement of materials, transport and demolition and waste disposal).

Source: www.ovam.be (in Flemish)