Many market sectors are evaluating the environmental and social practices of their suppliers, whether it is the sustainability of the company or the products it purchases. The construction industry is following suit through Material & Resources credits of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. In respond to LEED v4 and other market drivers pushing for product transparency, NRMCA has published a marketing document titled Strength through Transparency: Ready Mixed Concrete Industry Initiatives to Disclose the Environmental Impacts of Product. The marketing brochure describes the years of collaboration needed to develop tools that can be utilized by architects, engineers and contractors (AEC) when pursuing LEED v4 projects, including:

• Industry-wide environmental product declaration (IW-EPD)

• Regional environmental impact benchmarks

• NRMCA as an EPD program operator

• Ready mix producer success in publishing its own EPDs

Through significant collaboration in the ready mixed industry, concrete can claim a leadership position in transparency when comparing to other product categories. As part of the Build with Strength campaign, NRMCA participates in conferences to promote member and industry competitiveness in the green building marketplace and the trends toward product and company transparency.