Abstract
The paper presents the most economical and less polluting retaining wall system, calculated for the same site, having few different
common heights used in design. The paper will highlight the importance of an environmentally friendly solution, but also the
most economical solution, which should be the main criteria in the design. Two of the tools used in environmental life cycle
assessments (LCA) are the carbon footprint and the energy footprint. The quantification of the carbon and the energy footprint
associated to the two types of retaining walls for three different heights is presented. The assessment procedure is performed for
the construction stage. The retaining walls are designed, using European norms embedded in Geo 5 software, in similar ground
conditions, similar loads and weather conditions. Considering the computed cross sections, the materials quantities and on site
assembly are calculated and also the CO2 footprint, the energy footprint and cost. Few different constructive solutions were
compared, and the outcome of the paper is the most economic retaining wall in terms of emissions of carbon dioxide, energy
consumption, and not the least, the cost.