In mid-June 2021, German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt – UBA) published the updated AgBB scheme which is in connection with the principles of the German Institute for Structural Engineering (Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik – DIBt) the relevant standard for testing and health evaluation of volatile organic compounds (VVOC, VOC and SVOC) from construction products.

AgBB scheme 2021 is valid since its publication date (16th June, 2021); there is a transition period of one year during which the previous version, AgBB scheme 2018, may still be applied. Mixing of both versions during this period is not permitted.

What are the changes and additions in the 2021 AgBB assessment scheme?

With the published assessment scheme 2021, the Committee for Health-related Assessment of Building Products (AgBB) has reaffirmed the scientific approach to the health-related assessment of construction products and made adjustments in accordance with the current state of knowledge. In order to exclude health hazards with sufficient certainty, all criteria of the AgBB evaluation scheme are required and must be applied (LCI values, R-value, carcinogenic substances, sum values). From a technical point of view, this illustrates that the AgBB assessment criteria and benchmarks establish a minimum health protection level for construction product emissions. As a sign of the continuous support for the harmonisation initiative for a uniform European regulation, corresponding EU LCI values have been adopted in the 2020 LCI list. For some substances, however, the adoption of the EU LCI values is still under discussion in the AgBB. The substance neodecanoic acid (No. 9-11) is newly included in the LCI list 2020.

All changes and textual adjustments can be found in the current AgBB evaluation scheme 2021  (German only) respectivley in the changes overview. Further information on the AgBB scheme can be found here

More information on the website of the UBA can be found here  as well as on the page of the EU-LCI Working Group / European Commission.

eco-INSTITUT Cologne is accredited and approved testing body and performs emission testing according to ISO 16000 and DIN EN 16516 in compliance with all national and international requirements (such as AgBB/DIBt, Blue Angel, GEV-Emicode, M1).