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Martin Marietta arrives first as NRMCA reaches system level EPD plateau

Concrete News
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Martin Marietta Materials is the first producer member to use National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s new system level Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) verification program, oriented to transparency credits in LEED v4 and other green building standards. The program meets strict international standards but streamlines EPD verification: Rather than a fixed set of product-specific EPD, it verifies the software used to generate a concrete mix’s environmental impacts. Hence, producers can tender new product-specific EPD as needed for each project.
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Honored in the 2014 NRMCA Environmental Excellence Awards program, the Quivas plant on the edge of downtown Denver is one of six Martin Marietta Rocky Mountain Region plants equipped to generate product-specific EPD on demand through the NRMCA-hosted portal.

Martin Marietta used a Climate Earth enterprise software tool to generate EPD covering 50 concrete mixes from six Rocky Mountain Region plants. The software and underlying life cycle data for each plant were reviewed by Sustainable Solutions Corp., an NRMCA EPD program verifier. Martin Marietta can now generate EPD on-demand from each of the Colorado plants using the Climate Earth tool. The verification process and background data are checked periodically to ensure consistency and accuracy.

Implementing a system verification program for EPD once again demonstrates that the ready mixed concrete industry is a leader in the transparency movement, NRMCA affirms. The association was one of the first industry groups to launch an EPD program in the U.S. and generate an industry-wide EPD, and is now an early mover in system level EPD verification.

“Concrete producers lead the way with over 2,400 products verified in [our] EPD program,” says NRMCA President Robert Garbini. “We’re proud to be able to offer this new system verification program, making the process of developing EPD more efficient for our members.”

Additional information on EPD and the NRMCA EPD Operator program can be obtained at www.nrmca.org/sustainability/EPDProgram, or from NRMCA Senior Director, Sustainability Initiatives James Bogdan, QEP, LEED-AP, 412/420-4138; [email protected].

ASTM-LED PCR/LCA/EPD CONSORTIUM WELCOMES NRMCA, SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

The green building industry-driven Program Operator Consortium has added as affiliate members the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and Sustainable Solutions Corp. The Consortium launched under ASTM International in 2015 to provide simpler, standardized and more useful environmental-product transparency solutions, and reduce complexity in the marketplace. It serves as an expert resource for creating product category rules (PCR), reviewing life cycle assessment (LCA) reports, plus verifying and publishing environmental product declarations (EPD).

“As one of the leading EPD operators in construction materials, we must consider opportunities to deliver value to our membership,” says NRMCA Senior Director of Sustainability Initiatives James Bogdan. “Joining the Program Operator Consortium allows our industry access to a network of practitioners and experts, and insight to evolving environmental disclosure reporting.”

“We bring the consortium years of experience completing LCA and EPD, a team of certified LCA practitioners, and our objective of using data to drive sustainability, product innovation and continuous improvement,” adds Sustainable Solutions President Tad Radzinski.

NRMCA and Sustainable Solutions join inaugural Consortium affiliate member thinkstep, a software, data and environmental consultancy, plus regular members ASTM International, CSA Group, ICC-Evaluation Service, NSF Sustainability, SCS Global Services and Sustainable Minds. The Affiliate Member Program was created for industry associations, government agencies, standards developers, consultants, and data providers to have access to expertise from a like-minded community. The free program also provides education, discounted rates, and a seat at the table to contribute to creating uniformity across environmental reporting formats, data requirements and communication.

Each consortium member is represented in the group’s Technical Advisory Board. The LCA experts oversee the harmonized implementation of a North American two-part PCR framework, which Consortium members have aligned to use and maintain over the past year. PCR created by any member will produce standardized environmental declarations, helping both manufacturers as well as decision-makers who specify green building materials and products. The first comprehensive catalog of North American PCR and an aggregated EPD catalog from members’ programs are available at www.programoperators.org.