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- Major step forward for sustainability reporting and green construction
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- Production of Environmental Product Declarations on-demand allows concrete producers to show the environmental impact of their products
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- Governments and authorities are mandating use of EPDs for green construction, for example with introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act in the USA.
The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) and consultants WAP Sustainability have taken a major step towards greener construction for the industry, with the launch of on-demand Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for concrete producers in North America. The new EPD on-demand service will enable concrete producers to quickly, accurately and cost effectively produce verified EPDs of their products.
EPDs are becoming a key part of sustainable construction. They allow producers to show the environmental impact of their products across a number of metrics, including global warming potential, often referred to as a carbon footprint. Various US state and local governments have emerging Buy Clean initiatives, which require transparency around embodied emissions and rely on EPDs. Increasingly designers are also requiring EPDs to assess their designs and support their decarbonisation efforts.
Andrew Minson, Concrete and Sustainable Construction Director said: “The cement and concrete sector is playing a key part in sustainable construction, but this requires transparent, objective and accessible data on the environmental impact of our products. Our collaboration with WAP will allow concrete producers to quickly and cost effectively produce EPDs that can demonstrate the contribution of their products to a sustainable world of tomorrow.”
James Salazar, EPD Director for WAP said: “WAP’s partnership with the GCCA leverages the GCCA’s industry-leading computation engine with WAP’s easy-to-use software and full-service support. As requirements for EPDs grow, we’re excited to offer credible and low-cost solutions through close partnerships with industry leaders like the GCCA.”
Under this partnership, the GCCA EPD calculation engine is integrated into WAP’s EPD On-Demand system (known as Theta EPDTM) to make it cheaper and quicker for North American concrete producers to provide EPDs. The GCCA calculation engine has been independently verified and complies with relevant EPD standards and concrete PCRs. The collaboration with WAP provides a streamlined solution for EPD preparation, documentation and verification to help producers scale EPD production. GCCA and WAP are working to expand their coverage across the world with a focus on Europe.
To find out more information or register for the service please follow this link: https://thetaepd.com/signup/gcca
About the GCCA: The GCCA and its members account for 80% of global cement production capacity outside of China, as well as some key Chinese manufacturers. Member companies have committed to reducing and ultimately eliminating CO2 emissions in concrete (which currently account for around 7% globally), through implementation of the GCCA’s Concrete Future 2050 Net Zero Roadmap – the first heavy industry to set out such a detailed plan. The GCCA aims to foster innovation throughout the construction value chain in collaboration with industry associations as well as architects, engineers, and innovators.
