Highly radioactive waste is placed in metal canisters embedded in dense clay termed buffer. The radioactive decay is associated with heat production, which causes degradation of the buffer and thereby time-dependent loss of its waste-isolating potential. The buffer is prepared by compacting air-dry smectite clay powder and is initially not fully water saturated. The evolution of the buffer starts with slow wetting by uptake of water from the surrounding rock followed by a long period of exposure to heat, pressure from the rock and chemical reactants. It can be described by conceptual and theoretical models describing processes related to temperature (T), hydraulic (H), mechanical (M) and chemical performance (C). For temperatures below 90 C more than 75 % of the smectite will be preserved for 100 000 years but cementation may reduce the excellent performance of the buffer to a yet not known extention.