Wal-Mart Not Discounting Co2 Emissions Credits Derived From Fly Ash Mix Specs

During a Duke University-hosted Greenhouse Gas Summit in Durham, N.C., representatives from retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced a new store

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During a Duke University-hosted Greenhouse Gas Summit in Durham, N.C., representatives from retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced a new store and other facility construction contract provision: Any carbon dioxide emission reduction credits from specification of fly ash in concrete mixes will become Wal-Mart property. Potential credits stemming from the use of fly ash or other supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) used to substitute or augment portland cement have been raised in discussion of a cap and trade system regulating CO2 emissions levels. The use of supplementary cementitious materials would stand to generate carbon credits, given their ability to offset emissions from CO2-intensive portland cement milling.

The Wal-Mart-initiated summit focused on concrete industry consultants’ testing for the retailer’s new colored floor specification requiring fly ash in mix designs. Company representatives and consultants indicated the likelihood of a cap-and-trade carbon market legislated in the U.S. in the next few years, according to National Ready Mixed Concrete Association National Resource Director Vance Pool. In support of the association’s national accounts program, he has assisted the retailer in evaluating mix designs for store and parking slabs.