The EU (European Union) - U.S. Trade and Technology Council held a stakeholder event titled Crafting The Transatlantic Green Marketplace last week in Washington, DC. NRMCA Senior Vice President, Technical Services, Karthik Obla was one of six panelists for a session titled Creating a Market for Green Cement and Concrete on Both Sides of the Atlantic that was moderated by representatives from the Environmental Coalition on Standards (ECOS) and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). About 20 U.S. federal and EU officials along with representatives from the private industry attended the session.
There was unanimous agreement that performance-based standards and specifications will spur innovation and accelerate the move toward low-carbon cement and concrete, Obla reported. Other ideas discussed included policy changes, incentives and funding opportunities, reducing risk, standards alignment, the need for a partnering atmosphere and a more streamlined approval process for innovative materials. A summary paper should be available shortly.
For more information, contact Karthik Obla at kobla@nrmca.org.
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association