With data from 155 producers operating 1,954 plants, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association has published a third version of its industry average or industry-wide environmental product declaration (IW-EPD). The document functions as a national proxy for the bulk of concrete in residential, commercial and public construction, and complies with the latest Product Category Rule for Concrete, released earlier this year.
|
|
| The IW-EPD and Regional Benchmark Report are posted at www.nrmca.org/sustainability. |
The new EPD discloses environmental impacts from a broad range of product. Like previous versions, it documents impacts of mixes designed for differing compressive strengths and utilizing various percentages of supplementary cementitious materials. A companion Regional Benchmark Report that derives from the same life-cycle assessment (LCA) study behind the EPD presents impacts for average concrete mixtures at the national level and in eight U.S. regions. It serves as a go-to reference when establishing an environmental baseline of concrete impacts, specifically pertaining to local codes or legislation. The report also suits concrete producers that have developed mix-specific EPDs and want to compare the environmental impacts of their products with the IW-EPD—an option limited to producers who participated in the industry average reporting.
A group of producers and allied interests developed the declaration and benchmark documents with Athena Sustainable Materials Institute oversight, followed by NSF Certification LLC verification. Additional information on the documents and individual producer EPD preparation can be obtained from NRMCA Senior Director, Sustainability Initiatives James Bogdan, 412/420-4138; [email protected].