Interdependence between Structural Engineering and Construction Management Edited by Ozevin, D., Ataei, H., Modares, M., Gurgun, A., Yazdani, S., and Singh, A. Copyright © 2019 ISEC Press ISBN: 978-0-9960437-6-2 SUS-04-1 THE USE OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION IFIJE OHIOMAH, CLINTON AIGBAVBOA, THULISILE ZWANE, and DOUGLAS AGHIMEN Sustainable Human Settlement and Construction Research Centre, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa This study assesses the benefit of sustainable construction and the use of life cycle assessment (LCA) in the South African construction industry to achieve sustainable construction. The data used in this was derived from both primary and secondary resources. The primary data was collected through a questionnaire approach. The study revealed that LCA could be used for product comparison, product development, formulating of product eco-labels, evaluating construction processes and decision- making processes in the construction industry concerning materials. Furthermore, the study revealed that LCA has various strengths, challenges and weakness, this is due to the fact that there is a requirement of the high quality of knowledge and data when conducting a detailed LCA study. However, this study revealed that life cycle thinking is a cornerstone for developing policies and programs, which meet sustainability criteria and there is a great room for the development and use of LCA in the South African construction industry. Therefore, it is recommended that the South African Construction industry invest more in environmental tools such as LCA. Keywords: Environmental impacts, Sustainability, Construction industry, Long-term company policy. 1 INTRODUCTION The construction industry is a large employer of persons in economies, hence Hans et al. (2011) added that there are a few sectors in South Africa that have the kind of employment impact the construction industry has, particularly in relation to the employment of skilled and semi-skilled labor. Although the importance of the construction industry is clearly recognized worldwide, it is impossible to overlook the contribution it has on the environmental burden facing the country. The construction industry plays an important role in the social and human development; at the same time, it is a contributor to environmental issues. Clements-croome (2000) stated that around half of all non-renewable resources that mankind consumes are used in construction, and therefore it is one of the least sustainable industries in the world. According to Baloi (2003), the traditional ways of the industry have been based on the fact that innovations and investments drive the economy and satisfy the consumer’s needs. However, it is equally important to understand that construction activities make excessive use of natural resources, various sources of energy and water, and that the construction industries products and process have undesirable impacts on the environment. The evidence emanating from the study of Baloi (2003) has shown that raw material extraction, transportation, and manufacturing result in resource depletion and energy consumption. Further, construction processes’ produced emissions contribute to global