NRMCA Seeks Input on Draft Standard to Track and Report Environmental Impacts of Concrete

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Researchers at the University of Washington’s College of Built Environment’s Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) have worked with a diverse stakeholder committee, including NRMCA staff and member representatives, to develop standards to track and report the environmental footprint of concrete. Use of these standards (Product Category Rules/PCRs) will enable concrete producers to report the "environmental footprint" (Environmental Product Declaration/EPD) of different concrete mixes and enable architects and engineers to specify low impact concrete. The standard is now posted for stakeholder input and available at the CLF PCR Website. The deadline for comments is Saturday, March 31.
The standard is expected to help people in the building industry meet Architecture 2030’s 2030 Challenge for Products. Launched a year ago, the challenge calls for dramatic reductions in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions related to manufacture and transportation of construction materials. Building industry specific PCRs, like the concrete standard released by CLF, are key to advancing the goals of the 2030 Challenge for Products.

NRMCA is asking concrete industry stakeholders to review the draft standard and provide input either directly to CLF by March 31 or provide comments to Lionel Lemay of NRMCA at LLemay@nrmca.org in advance of the deadline for inclusion in a combined concrete industry response. To help the concrete industry understand the new standard, NRMCA has created a Web page at www.nrmca.org/sustainability and scheduled two free webinars:

• Tuesday, March 1, from 3-4 p.m. Eastern time - visit http://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/370443694 to register
• Thursday, March 15, from 3-4 p.m. Eastern time - visit http://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/865474422 to register.

For more information, contact Lionel Lemay at llemay@nrmca.org or 847-918-7101.