SAG: Sustainability

Written on 21 March 2017.

Motivation

In 2020, many countries, including the EU and Japan, declared their commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050. This movement has gained momentum, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 100 countries now involved. Despite the significant CO2 emissions of the concrete sector, concrete remains an essential material for human prosperity. To achieve sustainability goals, the world will require concrete structures with minimal CO2 emissions in the near future. Clients and taxpayers may begin to demand that designers, constructors, and owners quantify the CO2 emissions of their projects properly. In this context, the fib must be prepared to lead the change in the structural concrete community. It is essential that the fib shares its knowledge and provides proper methodological approaches to enable a reliable assessment of the environmental impact of concrete structures.

Scope and objective of technical work

To achieve its goal, the SAG will focus on three objectives:

• Establishing a comprehensive database of environmental impact data for structural materials used in concrete structures. The SAG will prioritize data related to the construction stage, but will also develop a strategy to manage data from the operational and maintenance stages, as well as the dismission stage. The data platform will need to be continuously maintained by collecting new data and updating existing data, with a focus on different lifecycle stages in different geographical areas. The SAG will source this data from manufacturers, designers, associations, and other institutions.
• Defining a reliable methodological approach to support designers in quantifying the environmental impact of concrete structure projects. The methodology will be based on LCA principles and focus on the requirements and performance of structures. The approach will be easily implementable and usable in the design process, with a common set of indicators and proper metrics established to compare data and allow for the definition of benchmarks. The methodology may also identify a Product Category Rule, according to the ISO 14000 series, to enable designers to produce EPDs for individual concrete structures.
• Identifying the best tools and knowledge to guide the decision-making process towards optimal structural solutions in terms of environmental impact while still satisfying expected structural and functional performances. The SAG will suggest proper optimization strategies and procedures and identify best practices for different structures, in various market conditions and geographical areas.

Commission Chair
Domenico Asprone

Deputy Chair
TBT

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Privacy

Written on 14 March 2017.

1. Collection and use of personal information
2. What personal information the fib collects
3. How the fib uses your personal information
4. Collection and use of non-personal information
5. Cookies and other technologies
6. Disclosure to third parties
7. Service providers
8. Others
9. Protection of personal information
10. Third-party sites and services
11. GDPR compliance
12. Privacy questions

1. Collection and use of personal information

Personal information is data that can be used to uniquely identify or contact a single person.

You may be asked to provide your personal information anytime you are in contact with the fib. The fib and its affiliate member may share this personal information with each other and use it consistent with this Privacy Policy. They may also combine it with other information to provide and improve the fib's products, services, content, and advertising.

Following are some of the types of personal information the fib may collect and how the fib may use it.

2. What personal information the FIB collects

• You agree that pictures taken at the fib meetings or the fib events can be used for the fib website or fib publications and news.
• When you upload a picture you agree that the fib will be able to use the picture for its website or any other publication related to the fib.
• When you purchase a product, download a product, register for an event, or participate in an online survey, the fib may collect a variety of information, including your name, mailing address, phone number, email address, contact preferences.

3. How the FIB uses your personal information

• The fib may also use personal information for internal purposes such as auditing, data analysis, and research to improve the fib’s products, services, and customer communications.
• From time to time, the fib may use your personal information to send important notices, such as communications about purchases and changes to the fib terms, conditions, and policies. Because this information is important to your interaction with the fib, you may not opt out of receiving these communications.
• The personal information fib collects allows the fib to keep you posted on its latest product announcements and upcoming events. It also helps the fib to improve its services, content, and advertising. If you don’t want to be on the fib mailing list, you can opt out anytime by updating your preferences.

4. Collection and use of non-personal information

The fib also collects non-personal information − data in a form that does not permit direct association with any specific individual. The fib may collect, use, transfer, and disclose non-personal information for any purpose. The following are some examples of non-personal information that the fib collects and how the fib may use it:

• The fib may collect information such as occupation, language, zip code, area code, unique device identifier, location, and the time zone where the fib product is used so that the fib can better understand customer behavior and improve its products, services, and advertising.
• The fib also may collect information regarding customer activities on its website. This information is aggregated and used to help the fib provide more useful information to its customers and to understand which parts of its website, products, and services are of most interest. Aggregated data is considered non-personal information for the purposes of this Privacy Policy.

If the fib does combine non-personal information with personal information the combined information will be treated as personal information for as long as it remains combined.

5. Cookies and other technologies

The fib’s website, online services, interactive applications, email messages, and advertisements may use “cookies” and other technologies such as pixel tags and web beacons. These technologies help the fib better understand user behavior, tell the fib which parts of its website people have visited, and facilitate and measure the effectiveness of advertisements and web searches. The fib treats information collected by cookies and other technologies as non-personal information. However, to the extent that Internet Protocol (IP) addresses or similar identifiers are considered personal information by local law, the fib also treats these identifiers as personal information. Similarly, to the extent that non-personal information is combined with personal information, the fib treats the combined information as personal information for the purposes of this Privacy Policy.

The fib also uses cookies and other technologies to remember personal information when you use its website, online services, and applications. The fib’s goal in these cases is to make your experience with the fib more convenient and personal. For example, knowing your country and language helps the fib to provide a customized and more useful shopping experience.

If you want to disable cookies and you’re using the Safari web browser, go to Safari preferences and then to the Security panel to disable cookies. For other browsers, check with your provider to find out how to disable cookies. Please note that certain features of the fib website will not be available once cookies are disabled.

6. Disclosure to third parties

At times the fib may make certain personal information available to fib National Member Groups or Conference organisers that work with the fib to provide products and services, or that help the fib market to customers.

7. Service providers

The fib does not share personal information with companies who provide services of any kind.

8. Others

It may be necessary − by law, legal process, litigation, and/or requests from public and governmental authorities within or outside your country of residence − for the fib to disclose your personal information. The fib may also discloses information about you if the fib determines that for purposes of national security, law enforcement, or other issues of public importance, disclosure is necessary or appropriate.

The fib may also discloses information about you if the fib determines that disclosure is reasonably necessary to enforce its terms and conditions or protect its operations or users.

9. Protection of personal information

The fib takes precautions — including administrative, technical, and physical measures — to safeguard your personal information against loss, theft, and misuse, as well as against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction.

The fib online services such as the fib Online Store use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption on all web pages where personal information is collected. To make purchases from these services, you must use an SSL-enabled browser such as Safari, Firefox, or Internet Explorer. Doing so protects the confidentiality of your personal information while it’s transmitted over the Internet.

10. Third-party sites and services

The fib websites, products, applications, and services may contain links to third-party websites, products, and services. The fib's products and services may also use or offer products or services from third parties. Information collected by third parties, which may include such things as location data or contact details, is governed by their privacy practices. The fib encourages you to learn about the privacy practices of those third parties.

11. GDPR compliance

The fib enforces the application of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR (http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/reform/index_en.htm)).

Therefore, the fib does the following tasks:

• The fib adopts Privacy by Design and by Default. According to the GDPR, it consists in particular of:
  • minimising the processing of personal data
  • pseudonymising personal data as soon as possible
  • transparency with regard to the functions and processing of personal data
  • enabling the data subject to monitor the data processing (on request)
  • enabling the controller to create and improve security features
• Set up a process in case of data breaches
• The fib gives the users the rights regarding their data:
  • Right of access
  • Right to be informed
  • Right to erase (on request)
  • Right of rectification
  • Right to object
  • Right to restrict processing
  • Right not to be subject to automated decision-making
  • Right to data portability, if needed.
• The fib seeks consent in a lawful manner:
  • Do not use long illegible terms and conditions full of legalese
  • Request consent separately from other terms and conditions
  • Names the organisation and third parties
  • Makes sure people opt in
  • Avoid consent by default or pre-ticked boxes
  • Verify the individuals age for students and young engineers
  • Provide granular options to consent to nonessential processing, if needed
  • Keep records of when and how the individual gave their consent
• Although it is not strictly needed, as the fib does not process regularly large-scale processing of sensitive data, there is a person in the fib secretariat that is responsible for the data.
• Document the personal data that it holds

12. Privacy questions

If you have any questions or concerns about the fib’s Privacy Policy or data processing, please contact the fib at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The fib may update its Privacy Policy from time to time. When the fib changes the policy in a material way, a notice will be posted on our website along with the updated Privacy Policy.

Terms & conditions

Written on 14 March 2017.

1. General
   
2. Disclaimer
3. Copyright
4. Terms and conditions for sales

1. General

1.1 PRICES

The prices quoted in the fib bookshop are in Swiss Francs (CHF) excluding shipping, packing and order processing costs. They may subject to change without notice.

Catalogue prices of electronic publications are given for one single user. 

1.2 VAT AND CUSTOMS

The prices of the fib products do not include duties and taxes.

The purchaser is responsible for all duties, taxes and custom fees.

1.3 TAX STATUS

The fib headquarters is located in Lausanne and registered in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland for tax purposes. The Trade Register registration number is CHE-112.232.109. The federation is subject the law of Canton of Vaud.

1.4 MEMBERSHIP

The fib Membership is for calendar years regardless of the payment date.

The fib Membership subscription is renewed automatically unless terminated in writing received by the fib Secretariat on or before 30th September of the current year of subscription period. 

1.5 METHODS OF PAYMENT

Payment is due at the time of ordering. Payments can be made:

1.5.1 by Credit card: Mastercard, Visa

The fib online credit card payment is processed by Paypal and Saferpay. Online payment is certified by to be in compliance with the payment card industry data security standard.

1.5.2 by Bank transfer

Bank transfer should be made in Swiss Francs (CHF) to the fib, Account No. 710’250.00V, UBS, Case Postale 2950, CH-1211 Geneva 2. – Dépôt;  Clearing No. 240; SWIFT: UBSWCHZH12A; IBAN: CH19 0024 0240 7102 5000V; BIC: UBSWCHZH80A

The order/invoice number must be specified in the bank transfer form to avoid delays in the order processing. Bank transfer fees must be solely borne by the client. The fib reserves the right not to dispatch the order until full payment has been received.* 

* Please note that a bank transfer may take 1 to 3 days to be effective.

1.6 ORDER

You may order on-line on this site. The different stages of logging your order are validated successively, with final validation at the end of the process. The user can decide to abort the order at any stage of this process.

The fib reserves the right to cancel or refuse any order from a customer with whom there is a dispute concerning payment of a previous order.

For products published in partnership with other publishers, you must send your inquiries and orders directly to those contacts.

1.7 AVAILABILITY

The fib's offers of products and prices are valid for as long as they appear on the site. The fib will supply goods ordered depending on the availability of stocks or as pdfs version.

If you have paid by bank transfer and all or part of your order proves unavailable, your money will be reimbursed as soon as possible by crediting your bank account

1.8 DELIVERY

Delivery is made to the address given when you order. Delivery times are approximate and represent average delivery times.

For orders from outside Europe it is strongly advised to use DHL or at least airmail. fib will not be responsible for surface mail deliveries.

The fib may not be held responsible for any consequences of a delay in delivery, particularly in the event of a force majeure, computer breakdowns, and disruption or strikes affecting postal services, transport or communications.

Please see also point 4 Terms and conditions for sales.

1.9 QUALITY CONTROL

In order to improve the quality of its documents the fib encourages purchasers and users of our documents to send their feedback to the fib’s secretariat.

1.10 PRINTING POLICY

Please note that you will not be able to print PDF publications.

1.11 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE AND JURISDICTION

Canton Vaud, Switzerland, shall be the place of performance and Vaud, Switzerland, shall be the exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes.

1.12 GOVERNING LAW

The legal relations between the fib and the customer shall be governed exclusively by the law of Vaud,  Switzerland. This provision shall also apply to legal transactions via the internet.

These general conditions of sale are governed by the law of Canton Vaud, Switzerland.

2. Disclaimer

2.1 WEB SITE

While the fib aims to insure that its publications represent the best in business practice, the Federation accepts no liability for any events or the consequences thereof that derive from using information published by the fib.

The fib disclaims any and all responsibility for the use or consequences of any information appearing on this domain/web site:  http://www.fib-international.org/

The fib also disclaims any and all responsibility for any information attributed to the fib on web sites not emanating from www.fib-international.org. The fib bears no responsibility and does not endorse any links www.fib-international.org from WWW pages residing on other domains.

2.2 DOCUMENTS

Any draft documents residing on this site and intranet are in the process of being developed and have not at this time been approved by the fib for use or reference. The fib disclaims any and all responsibility for application of the stated principles. The fib shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising therein. Access to these documents must be given by the fib or a representative of a technical, educational, certification, or convention committee designated by the fib.

The fib also assumes no liability regarding the accuracy of the information that is provided and use of such information is at the recipient's own risk. Under no circumstances shall the fib be liable for any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred or suffered that is claimed to have resulted from the use of the fib -supplied information.

2.3 SOCIAL MEDIA

The opinions of fib social media channel creators, moderators, posters and commenters are their own, and not necessarily that of fib or its affiliates.

The fib will not be held liable for any injury resulting from such statements. Any opinions or information expressed in the social media venue are for general informational purposes only and are not intended in any fashion to be a substitute for professional consultation. Reliance on any information or advice contained in the social media venue is solely and completely at your own risk; therefore, you are urged to exercise a reasonable degree of caution in your use of any such information or advice. Under no circumstances does the fib, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, or volunteers warrant the completeness, accuracy, or relevancy of any information or advice provided in the social media venue, or its usefulness for any particular purpose. The fib, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and volunteers expressly disclaim any and all responsibility for any liability, loss, or damage that you may cause or incur in reliance on any information or advice provided in the social media venue. Questions can be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

3. Copyright

© fib. International Federation for Structural Concrete. Fédération internationale du béton (2018)

3.1 COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Copyright © 2018 fib International Federation for Structural Concrete. Fédération Internationale du Béton, Case Postale 88. CH-1015 Lausanne. Switzerland. All rights reserved.

The fib is the Copyright owner of the fib, CEB and FIP publications, that can be shared with other organisations, which are protected by the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, international conventions such as TRIPS and the WIPO copyright treaty and national intellectual property laws. No part of a fib publication can be reproduced, translated, adapted, stored in a retrieval system or communicated, in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, magnetic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the fib. 

3.2 THE fib COPYRIGHT

The fib regularly updates and reissues the information and services it publishes so that users can profit from the state-of-the-art. By furnishing information or supplying publications, the fib does not grant any intellectual property rights The purchase or supply of the fib information, including forms for completion by a user, does not confer author's rights under any circumstances. Consequently, this information cannot be published as translations or copied without the fib’s permission.

The fib discourages modification of the information and services it supplies, and only in exceptional circumstances will it authorise modification, reproduction or incorporation elsewhere.

Request to quote from, incorporate, reproduce or copy all or part of the fib publication, including documents, conditions of contract, web pages and similar supports for information shall be addressed to the fib Secretariat, which will decide upon appropriate terms.

A license to prepare a modified publication may be agreed to under certain conditions. 

3.3 THE FIB’s PUBLICATIONS

The widespread dissemination, acceptance and use of the fib’s publications and their translations are important means for accomplishing fib’s mission and are therefore actively promoted by the fib.

The fib regularly updates and reissues publications so that users can profit from the state-of-the-art.

By supplying publications, the fib does not grant any intellectual property rights. The purchase or supply of a fib publication, including forms for completion by a purchaser or authorised user, does not confer author’s rights under any circumstances.

Users rely on the contents of the fib publications. The use of authentic publications is therefore essential for safeguarding their interests. The fib discourages modification of its publications, and only in exceptional circumstances will it authorise modification, reproduction or incorporation elsewhere.

Permission to quote from, incorporate, reproduce or copy all or part of a fib publication should be addressed to the fib Secretariat, which will decide upon appropriate terms.

A license to prepare a modified or adapted publication will be agreed to under certain conditions.

Specifically, the modified or adapted publication must be for internal purposes, and not be published or distributed commercially.

3.4 USE OF THE FIB LOGO

The fib reserves all rights of ownership to designs owned and used by the fib (collectively referred to as "logos"). The fib National Member Groups and Corporate Members are encouraged to use the fib logo. For convenience, they can use the logo without seeking explicit permission or a license provided the logo is not modified or imitated and not incorporated in any manner into other devices or designs. The fact that permission or a license is not expressly granted does not imply that the fib relinquishes its rights.

Other organisations and all individuals must receive the fib’s authorisation in writing in order to reproduce and use the fib logo.

The fib reserves the right in its sole discretion to terminate or modify permission to display the logo, and may request modification or deletion of any use of the logo that, in the fib’s sole judgment, does not comply with guidelines, or might otherwise impair the fib´s rights.

3.5 WEB LINK TEXT

The fib does not require specific permission from third parties that want to place a link on their web site to a fib web page. It does not object to such links if they refer to the fib in a plain text font and format, and use appropriate wording such as "Contact the fib".

3.6 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The fib’s policy is to ensure that authors' rights to the fib published information belong to the fib irrespective of it source. Consequently, contracts for the provision of all forms of intellectual content will generally stipulate that the content belongs to the fib. The same applies for content generated by properly constituted committees and the like.

3.7 WEB SITES

Unless otherwise specified, the services and information provided on the fib website are for personal and non-commercial use. Users may not otherwise modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, transfer, or sell any information obtained from the site.

By accessing, browsing and/or using the fib web site, a user acknowledges that he or she has read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these terms and conditions.

3.8 ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

Every effort has been made to ensure that all published information has been reviewed by suitably qualified professionals and that all information submitted is original, has not been published previously and is not being considered for publication elsewhere.  Further, the fib has made every effort to ensure that any and all permissions to quote from other sources has been obtained.  The editor and the publisher are not responsible for the statements or opinions expressed in this publication. fib publications are not able to, nor intended to, supplant individual training, responsibility or judgement of the user, or the supplier, of the information presented.

Although the International Federation for Structural Concrete (fib) does its best to ensure that all the information presented in this publication is accurate, no liability or responsibility of any kind, including liability for negligence, is accepted in this respect by the organization, its members, employees or agents.

4. Terms and conditions for sales

4.1 GENERAL

The fib journals, books and other publishing products shall be supplied exclusively subject to these Standard Terms and Conditions for Sale, Delivery and Payment. Deviating terms and conditions which may be used by the customer shall, unless the fib has expressly acknowledged them in writing, not be binding for us, even if the fib does not expressly object to such terms and conditions.

Please refert to part 3.1. Copyright Notice.

4.2 ORDERS

Only written orders shall be decisive for the nature and extent of the fib obligations. This shall also apply in cases where the fib makes reference to the order. The customer shall be bound to his/her order. An order shall no longer be binding if the fib neither confirms the order in writing, nor ship the ordered.

4.3 DELIVERIES

The fib written order confirmations shall be decisive for delivery dates and delivery periods. In cases of force majeure or other unforeseeable or extraordinary events, or in cases where such circumstances were not due to a fault on its part, the delivery period shall be extended adequately. Should such circumstances make delivery impossible or unreasonable, the fib shall be released from its delivery obligation. If a delay is unreasonable, the customer shall also have the right to withdraw from the contract. Should the fib be in default with a delivery, the customer shall have the right to set an adequate period of grace for a subsequent delivery. Should the fib not perform during this period, the customer shall have the right to immediately withdraw from the contract. The risk shall pass to the customer upon dispatch of the goods or their delivery to the forwarder, however, not later than upon the goods leaving the publisher's premises or the warehouse. The goods to be delivered shall only be insured if the customer expressly so desires, and at the customer's cost.

Please also see point 1.8 Delivery.

4.4 PRICES

The fib's  book prices are quoted ex your shipping location, when given, incl. packaging and economy freight. They do not include value added tax as it is not applicable.

The price and availability of publications sold on the fib website are subject to change at any time, without notice, at the discretion of the fib.

Publications sold on the fib website may be available either as printed books, PDF files, or both. The content of the PDF and printed versions is identical; they are therefore considered to be interchangeable and are sold at the same price.

Listed prices are non-member prices; discounts are given to the fib members and for large quantity orders (4 or more). All prices are in CHF; payment in other currencies is not accepted. Payment is accepted by credit card (Visa, MasterCard) or bank transfer.

Except for the payment by bank transfer, the publications will be shipped after receipt of the funds.

4.5 PAYMENT TERMS

Unless separate agreements have been made, the fib's invoices shall be due for immediate payment upon their receipt by the customer. The invoice number is to be quoted when effecting payment by bank transfer. Publications are shipped against advance payment.

Due to costly processing fee, checks are no longer accepted. Payment via bank transfer, Paypal and credit card are preferred form of payment.

3.6 RETURN SHIPMENTS

Returns are not accepted for claimed purposes; copies with printing or binding defects will be replaced free of charge.

All publications purchased from the fib are made pursuant to a shipment contract. This means fib's obligations with respect to purchased publications and their final delivery to the customer end when the publications are passed to the carrier for transport. 

The fib accepts no responsibility or liability for events that transpire following its fulfillment of the shipment contract, including but not limited to postal delays, lost parcels, and customs disputes, fees, or delays.

Reviewed. Lausanne, 2017

Sponsoring

Written on 14 March 2017.

The International Federation for Structural Concrete gratefully acknowledges the support of its sponsoring members in helping the association carry out its mission.

BBR VT International Ltd.

CEG Engineers

Consolis

FBF Betondienst GmbH

Fuji P. S. Corp.

Hilti

IHI Construction Service Co.

ISB - Institut für Stahlbetonbewehrung E.V.

Larsen & Toubro Ltd ECC

Liuzhou Ovm Machinery Co. Ltd

MKT Metall-Kunststoff- Technik GmbH

Oriental Shiraishi Corp.

Peikko

Progress Group GmbH

PS Construction Co. Ltd.

SE Corporation

Shenzhen University

Sika Group

Strong Force-MGC W.L.L.

Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd

Tecne S.p.A

VSL International Ltd.

Documents

Written on 14 March 2017.

Events

Written on 14 March 2017.

The official fib congresses, symposia and PhD symposia are hosted by one of its national groups.  fib congresses are held every four years, and fib symposia are held every year except in the year of the congress.  PhD symposia are held every two years. 

The fib also co-sponsors events with other international associations on specialized subjects related to the fib’s field of interest and where the fib is well-represented on the scientific and/or organizing committees.

National groups, commissions and task groups may also organize short courses, which are targeted to specialized  and more local audiences. 

Official fib events, co-sponsored events and short courses can be found in the events calendar below.  fib members also have access to a list of additional scientific and industry events as well as a list of fib governance and commission meetings.