This guide is for LCA in compliance with BREEAM International v7, Breeam UK v7 and UKNC v6.1 Residential. The below tools in One Click LCA can be used to comply with those standards:

With One Click LCA's Breeam tools, one can assess the environmental performance of building project at various lifecycle stages.

The aim with Mat01 credit in Breeam is to optimise the use of materials and reduce the environmental burden of construction products over the life cycle of the building.

The idea of the Mat 01 credit is to perform a high-quality LCA analysis. In other words, the better the estimated quality of the analysis, the more credits you’ll be able to achieve. The quality and credit potential are defined by two factors: the quality of the LCA tool and the assessment scope, which means the scope of different building elements included in the calculation.

​One Click LCA has achieved the highest quality rating available for this scheme and supports BREEAM v7 UK, BREEAM v7 International, and BREEAM v6.1 Residential. The tools can be used both in the UK and internationally, including in markets that use locally adapted versions of the scheme.
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The calculation includes the life cycle modules of A1–A5 (product sourcing and construction), B1–B5 (use stage, excluding B6–B7), C1–C4 (end-of-life), and D (benefits and loads beyond the system boundary). Module D is required unless EN 15804+A2 data is not available for used products.
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The results are provided for a range of mandatory indicators, including Global Warming Potential, Acidification, Eutrophication, Ozone Depletion Potential, and Formation of Ozone in the lower atmosphere & non-hazardous waste disposed. Additionally, we report biogenic carbon storage.

Choose the right tool: One Click LCA offers two BREEAM v7 tools, depending on which EN 15804 standard your project follows:

The scope of the assessment is dependent on the credits you are pursuing. The more building elements you include in your assessment, the higher the credits achieved. One Click LCA helps you achieve the maximum number of credits (7 + 3 exemplary).
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A1-A3: Fill in the construction materials query either manually or by import according to the chosen assessment scope.

Material classification: Define the element classification carefully as your results will be reported against the classifications. The elements classification system derives from NRM 1 classification system level 2 and aligns with RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment Standard, 2nd Edition.

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A4: Transport methods and distances will come automatically based on the materials but you can define more exact values based on project information.

A5: Defaults for material waste during the construction phase are added automatically for each row. If you have project specific data available, adjust the percentages accordingly.

B4/B5: Check the material service life information. In BREEAM the service life of a building is estimated to be 50 years. Any material that has a lower service life will have to be replaced. One Click LCA provides default values for all of the data sets but users have the possibility to set a more specific value.

C2-C4 and D module: End of life emissions per material are defined based on material type (market scenario) or taken from the EPDs directly (if you have chosen EPD End of Life scenario in the parameters). D module benefits are taken directly from the EPD when EPD end of life scenario is used.

A5: Construction site activities can be reported as a scenario based on building area or defined more specifically by adding energy, water, etc. Make sure to choose either one of these ways of inputting data in order not to double count emissions.

C1: Add the scenario for the demolition operation per area.

Mat01 defines the reference study period as 50 years.

Define the area of your building and use the Gross Internal Area. This input is used to divide the results per denominator. Guidance from the technical manual v7:

Use the BREEAM Results Excel report generated within One Click LCA for the submission of your project. This report is a support document for LCA credit Mat01, specifically formatted for submission to the BRE portal, and no additional BRE templates or calculators are required for this process in version 7 at the moment. However, these might come later.

The file and tab names within the Excel document must adhere to the requirements specified by the verification body, in alignment with RICS naming conventions if applicable. Please ensure that all mandatory data fields are accurately completed in accordance with the instructions outlined in the Breeam manual.

The completed Excel file is in the same format as Breeam requires the submission.

Good to note if you are doing RICS 2nd ed and Breeam calculations in the same project. While the Excel structure aligns with RICS for consistency, the underlying data are not interchangeable with RICS due to methodological differences. If you are using both RICS and this tool for the same project, please make 2 separate designs within the project and align the data in one of them to follow the Breeam version you are following. Data that is incompatible, should be marked with red warning sign.

​There is a feature in the tool that allows for the download of EPDs for Mat 02 credits and display the points. In order to get the support for Mat02 , follow the steps below: follows:

This is as illustrated in the tool shown below:

You can also download the individual EPDs by clicking on the "Download EPD" link.