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| The Cement Association of Canada EPD is confined to Product stage data, per the Product Category Rule for Cement, and covers three production information modules. |
Toronto-based standards development, testing and certification services provider CSA Group has registered its first Environmental Product Declaration: “General Use (GU) and Portland-Limestone (GUL) Cements.” The document references (Canadian Standards Association) CSA A3001 product, mirroring ASTM C150 and C1157 plus AASHTO M85 standards, and reflects an industry average of Product stage or cradle-to-gate data from six Cement Association of Canada (CAC) producer members.
The EPD’s release paces design professionals and project owners targeting Materials and Resources section incentives outlined in the new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system. “As we work this year to help the Canadian market adapt projects to LEED v4, declarations will play an increasingly significant role in getting to low-impact buildings,” says Canada Green Building Council President Thomas Mueller. “The growing emphasis on the lifecycle performance of products and materials in LEED v4 gives manufacturers a market opportunity to produce products for the next generation of green buildings.”
“EPDs for these two [portland cement] products will be available for Canada’s future infrastructure. Declarations are a simple, easily understood way for contractors, architects and the general public to understand and evaluate the environmental impact of the products they choose,” notes CSA Group, Standards President Magali Depras, who credits organizations like CAC with “leading the way to a better, more sustainable world.”
“Cement is used virtually exclusively to make concrete, a material that is literally the foundation of modern society and that will play a key role in the transition to a low carbon and climate resilient future,” affirms CAC President Michael McSweeney. “The cement and concrete industry is committed to doing all it can to help in this transition. Not only are EPDs an important tool for providing data and transparency on materials but also to support complex integrated design processes that help maximize the role materials like concrete can play in advanced energy efficient design.”