Environmental aspects will become a regular part of the choice of materials and products. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is a key tool for evaluating products with respect to their environmental impacts 'from cradle to grave' allowing to identify and implement improvements in the production lines and to take strategic decisions. First results of a study on wood and wood based products showed that drying processes as well as adhesives have major environmental effects. By product-related comparisons (exterior wall types, window frames), timber based systems exhibited favorable ratings for energy use and air emissions. In different scenarios it could be shown that the recyclability of materials will become a significant indicator for the environmental quality.
