Sources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Alexandria, Va.; CP staff
NRMCA has joined the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC), Geneva, and becomes a Regional System Operator (RSO) for the U.S. marketplace. Launched in 2017 with input from the Portland Cement Association and a Global Cement and Concrete Association predecessor, CSC administers the only industry-specific system certifying the sustainability performance of concrete plants and their supply chains across the globe.
“The CSC has established a highly respected and internationally applicable responsible sourcing framework,” says NRMCA President Michael Philipps. “Helping to extend the reach and use of CSC certification in the U.S. falls squarely in our wider mission of promoting concrete across the whole value chain. Additionally, bringing CSC adjacent to NRMCA’s environmental product declaration (EPD) program continues to demonstrate our leadership and willingness to disclose the sustainability of concrete. Strength through Transparency.”
“Encouraging uptake of certification and having best practices spread more widely through the concrete industry is a win-win toward demonstrating tangible sustainability improvements—for designers, developers, concrete producers and raw material suppliers,” affirms Executive Vice President of Promotion Strategy and Communications Gregg Lewis, AIA.
Responsible material sourcing is an increasing priority in high-profile construction and public project procurement, he adds. As an RSO, NRMCA will manage the CSC certification framework, governance and independent verifier network in the U.S. Developed in conjunction with social and environmental stakeholders, the CSC is the industry recognized authentication system, with more than 400 plants certified across 10 different countries. Short supply chains and local production enable concrete interests to demonstrate a high level of environmental, social and economic responsibility.
Architects, developers and contractors can be assured of socially and environmentally responsible practices through the concrete supply chain when specifying CSC-certified concrete. Internationally recognized sustainable project assessment methods credit design teams and their projects with points when CSC-certified concrete is specified and procured. The U.S. Green Building Council, moreover, recently launched a pilot credit on social equity in the supply chain and acknowledged the CSC as an approved program.
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