Cement elite endorse Climate Convention carbon-reporting codification

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Members of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) under the Geneva-based World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) concur with formal adoption of the United Nations-crafted Paris Agreement, under which signatory countries pursue long-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction measures. A threshold crossed earlier this fall—where more than 50 percent of signatories took official action toward commitments affirmed at the December 2015 Conference of Parties in Paris—triggered last month’s commencement of GHG management protocols.

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Construction Specifications Institute publishes MasterFormat 2014

Source: Construction Specifications Institute, Alexandria, Va.

CSI and Construction Specifications Canada released the 2014 updates to MasterFormat, their flagship product used to organize construction documents for commercial, industrial, and institutional building projects.

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NRMCA-led agreement ushers responsible sourcing certification effort

Sources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; CP staff

NRMCA Chairman Bill Childs (Chaney Enterprises) joined concrete and cement group representatives from around the world to sign an agreement launching an international responsible sourcing certification program for concrete, spearheaded by the World Business Council on Sustainable Development’s Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI).

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Environmental Product Declarations workshop dovetails ASTM C09 committee meetings

Sources: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.; CP staff

“An Introduction to Product Category Rules (PCR), Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and Other Aspects of Sustainable Process and Resilient Materials” will be held December 8 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville (Fla.) Riverfront, host venue of ASTM Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates standards development meetings.

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Global cement group guides Environmental Product Declarations for plain concrete

Sources: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Geneva; CP staff

WBCSD Cement Sustainability Initiative’s (CSI) new Product Category Rules (PCR) for unreinforced concrete offer producers a common methodology to prepare Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for their mixes. CSI membership includes all multinational companies with integrated North American operations: Argos, CRH, Cemex, GCC, Heidelberg, Holcim, Lafarge, Taiheiyo, Titan and Votorantim.

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NRMCA set to verify Environmental Product Declarations per new LEED, IgCC versions

Source: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.

NRMCA has become an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Program Operator, a designation enabling it to help members meet new requirements in LEED v4, International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and the Architecture 2030 Challenge for Products. EPDs are third-party verified reports published by product manufacturers that provide quality assured and comparable information regarding the environmental performance of their product.

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Cretex adds Iowa’s Quality Concrete, CSI Precast

Sources: Cretex Cos., Elk River, Minn.; CP staff

Cretex Concrete Products Midwest Inc. has acquired the assets of Des Moines-based Quality Concrete Pipe, Inc. and affiliate CSI Precast, LLC. QCP, which also does business under the CSI brand, produces reinforced concrete pipe, box culverts, drainage and utility structures, and retaining walls.

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