The Brick Industry Association reports that clay unit masonry can now contribute toward fulfillment of Materials and Resources requirements for (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) LEED v4.0 and v4.1 certification candidate projects. A new United States-Canada Industrywide Clay Brick Environmental Product Declaration (Brick Industrywide EPD) has been third-party certified and published, and reflects data surrounding the manufacture of units that comply with nearly every current ASTM International clay brick standard or specification.
“The document provides evidence of clay brick’s sustainable benefits and allows designers to further recognize its role as a major element in sustainable design and construction,” says BIA President Ray Leonhard.
The Brick Industrywide EPD qualifies for use in the LEED v4.0/4.1 Building Product Disclosure and Optimization – Environmental Product Declarations credit as a Type III EPD, conforming to ISO 14025 and ISO 21930 with a cradle to gate scope, he adds. Products from an industry-wide EPD are valued by LEED v4.1 as one whole product for the purposes of the credit achievement calculation, whereas LEED v4.0 awards a value of one-half for such submissions. A total of 20 EPD-backed products are required on a project to receive the credit.
The Brick Industrywide EPD represents the average environmental impact of clay brick production in the U.S. and Canada. Data gleaned from 13 producers and plants in 14 states or provinces represents 32 percent of 2018 clay brick output. The range of data includes brick formed by stiff- and soft-mud processes and cured in tunnel or periodic kilns. BIA producers contributing energy consumption, materials and operating metrics behind the declaration are Acme Brick Co., Belden Brick Co., Bowerston Shale Co., Brampton Brick Inc., Endicott Clay Products Co., General Shale Inc., Glen-Gery Corp., Hebron Brick Co., Lee Brick & Tile Co., Meridian Brick LLC, Meridian Brick Canada Ltd., Pine Hall Brick Inc., and Statesville Brick Co.