GCP expedites EPD delivery through Athena Institute partnership

Sources: GCP Applied Technologies, Cambridge, Mass.; CP staff

A new partnership with Ottawa-based Athena Sustainable Materials Institute equips GCP Applied Technologies to provide concrete admixture customers with life cycle assessment (LCA) details critical to environmental product declarations (EPD). 

Schematic: GCP Applied Technologies

“Building owners, municipalities, engineers, general contractors, and architects want to understand the environmental impact of the products they choose for their projects,” says GCP EPD Program Manager Lisa Barnard, LEED AP O+M. “To address this need in the concrete sector, we have teamed up with Athena to be our technical partner to drive our EPD program. The new program assists customers in creating EPDs for their concrete mix design, leveraging GCP product-specific admixture LCA data.”

The program first collects mix design data from a concrete plant, then uses LCAs of concrete materials and plant data to generate an EPD in accordance with ISO standards. The third-party verified reports will help the ready mixed or manufactured concrete operators gain visibility into the environmental footprint of each mix. Such data supports LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and other green building certification pursuits, and helps organizations better understand how to achieve carbon reduction targets.

“This is a great example of industry using LCA to meet environmental objectives and show sustainability leadership,” says Athena President Jennifer O’Connor, whose organization has been a forerunner in facilitating concrete EPD.

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