Above-average operator Clark Pacific launches project-specific EPDs

Sources: Clark Pacific, West Sacramento, Calif.; CP staff

West Coast precast, prestressed concrete leader Clark Pacific has deployed project-specific Environmental Product Disclosure generator software. When measured against the output of programs built on industry average EPD data, it can provide contract stakeholders a more accurate global warming potential profile of architectural or structural elements fabricated at the producer’s northern and southern California plants. By delivering an EPD that captures the project’s carbon impact during the design phase, moreover, Clark Pacific empowers owners to make informed decisions and explore ways to build more sustainably.

**The new EPD generator extends Clark Pacific carbon management competencies. The precast elements for the data center project shown here feature the producer’s Carbonshield concrete mix series.**

“We’ve seen a steady increase in demand for EPDs, particularly among owners in the data center market seeking to lower their carbon footprint,” says Clark Pacific Senior Product Manager Jon Mohle. “While EPDs based on industry averages are a starting point, project-specific EPDs will drive real change by giving owners the transparency they need to weigh carbon-reducing options in design. Combined with the significant reduction in construction time and cost certainty advantages of prefabrication, we’re helping our customers reach their goals and be more sustainable.”

The EPD generator builds on such recent Clark Pacific sustainability milestones as a) the launch of Carbonshield, a proprietary concrete mix that reduces embodied carbon compared with equivalent, typical mixes by 20 percent; b) operating practices leading to a near-zero waste facility by responsibly diverting 100 percent of metal, wood, and concrete scraps from landfills; c) recycling and reusing all water not consumed in the concrete batch process; and, d) reclaiming and recycling coarse and fine concrete aggregate remaining from batch processing.

True to a “green fleet” commitment, the producer has replaced a diesel-fueled yard truck at its Woodland plant, near Sacramento, with an Orange EV pure electric terminal tractor. The vehicle will represent a carbon dioxide emissions reduction measure of up to 2,500 tons over its service life. A 2MW solar farm expansion and renewable grid procurement provide 100 percent of Woodland plant electricity, while a 746kW farm is in the works to power the producer’s Adelanto plant in the high desert above Los Angeles.