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This document summarises lessons learned from the various project activities in three sectors: electrical and electronic equipment (EEE); building and construction; and toys. It also formulates key messages addressed to different stakeholder groups and provides links to guidance and tools developed under the GEF project

Factsheet with UNEP tools to address lead in paint

Plastics are used in a vast range of building components, such as seals, windows and doors, roofing, internal and external finishes, paints, panels, varnishes, stains, pipes, guttering, cables, floor coverings, membranes, formwork, supporting structures, building skins and insulation. However, their benefits come at a growing cost to the environment and public health.

The construction industry consumes 20% of all plastics and 70% of all polyvinyl chloride (PVC) produced globally each year. Exponentially greater amounts are being produced and used, with 8.3bn tonnes of virgin plastics produced worldwide between 1950 and 2017 and global output predicted to double by 2050.

The transition to sustainable construction will involve fundamental changes in the way buildings are designed, manufactured, built and operated. As society pushes up against established planetary boundaries, professionals working in the built environment need to identify how to change our practice.

In recent years, awareness of the negative impacts of plastic waste and pollution on our environment has heightened.   The construction sector’s use of plastic continues to grow and there is a lack of clarity on how construction plastics at the end of life are managed. There is still much to learn about plastics in construction, such as the volumes of plastic used, types of polymers, their applications and lifespans. 

This interactive PDF guide has been developed by the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products and peer-reviewed by the ASBP Plastics in Construction Group.

This site is a useful introduction to chemicals in building products. It lists the most commonly found hazardous chemicals in certain building products and the associated health risks.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large class of thousands of synthetic chemicals that are used throughout society. However, they are increasingly detected as environmental pollutants and some are linked to negative effects on human health.

This page from the European Chemicals Agency provides background on PFAS chemicals and their use in a number of products, including construction materials, paints and chrome plating.

On 13th January 2023, the European Commission issued a proposal that would ban the manufacture and use of PFAS chemicals, including those used in building materials. 

The details of the proposed restriction of around 10,000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are now available on ECHA’s website. ECHA’s scientific committees have begun to evaluate the proposal in terms of the risks to people and the environment, and the impacts on society, in accordance with the below timeline.  A six-month consultation began in March 2023 and will close on 25 September 2023.

Document: Consultation on a proposed restriction on the manufacture, placing on the market and use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

The Green Science Policy Institute's page on building materials, linking to background information on issues with PFAS, and halogenated flame retardants in insulation.