NRMCA Senior Director, Sustainability Initiatives, James Bogdan presented "Progress of EPD Development within the Concrete Industry" at the 16th Annual Life Cycle Assessment Conference (ACLCA) held last week in Charleston, SC. He discussed market drivers that encouraged product transparency, and efforts by NRMCA and the ready mixed industry to develop EPDs, specifically:

• Progress in developing its second industry-wide EPD; 

• Regional benchmarks;

• Manufacture of specific EPDs; and

• Tools that allow systematic/on-demand EPDs.

NRMCA received positive comments for the industry’s efforts towards environmental transparency. The ACLCA hosts this key conference for knowledge sharing, networking and practical learning and insights from life cycle assessment practitioners across industry, academia, government and NGO’s. The conference drew over 200 attendees.

NRMCA also participated in an Massachusetts Institute of Technology event that aimed to explain the need to improve and manage North American life cycle inventory (LCI) data. For reference, LCI data is what has been collected in the industry-wide environmental product declaration (IW-EPD) projects' Versions 1 and 2.

 

As part of the Build with Strength campaign, NRMCA participates in these types of events to develop resources and tools to support member and industry competitiveness in the green building marketplace and the trends toward product transparency.