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WAP Sustainability, with support from National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) launch Theta EPD for Aggregates

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WAP Sustainability is pleased to announce the launch of Theta EPD for Aggregates, the first “EPD on Demand” tool tailored specifically for aggregate producers.

 

WAP Sustainability, the leading U.S. provider of life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental product declarations (EPDs) services and tools, with support from the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), is pleased to announce the launch of Theta EPD for Aggregates. 

About Theta EPD for Aggregates:
  • Theta Aggregates is the first “EPD on Demand” tool tailored specifically for North American aggregate producers.
  • WAP Sustainability worked closely with NSSGA to provide LCA and EPD expertise during the Product Category Rules (PCR) update process, while in turn learning from NSSGA and its members the specific needs of the aggregates industry.
  • Joining the rapidly growing Theta EPD software family, Theta Aggregate builds on WAPs expertise in LCA and EPD generation for concrete, asphalt, cement, slag, concrete pipe, and other industries.
  • Theta Aggregate EPDs can be used as standalone Environmental Product Declarations for aggregates, or as upstream inputs into Theta Concrete, the Emerald Eco-Label asphalt EPD tool, or other LCAs and EPDs for building products. 
  • Theta Aggregate is part of Theta EPD, the Buy Clean Compliance Software®, which is continually maintained to help producers meet new green procurement initiatives like the GSA’s ongoing pilot for the Buy Clean Inflation Reduction Act Requirements for low embodied carbon construction materials.

“This is an exciting development for our member companies,” says Michele Stanley, Vice President of Government & Regulatory Affairs at NSSGA. “Theta Aggregate offers an industry specific, simplified way to demonstrate requirements necessary within many states and on certain federal projects. We have anxiously awaited the time to come when we can provide a tool like this for our members and it’s here!” 

NSSGA is the voice for the aggregates industry in Washington. Its members consist of stone, sand and gravel producers; industrial sand suppliers; and the equipment manufacturers and service providers who support them. With upwards of 9,000 locations, the aggregates industry produces 2.5 billion tons of materials used annually in the United States. Aggregates are the building blocks of our modern society and are needed to construct and maintain roads, railways, bridges, tunnels, water supply, sewers, electrical grids and telecommunications.

“Theta Aggregate is a huge improvement in ease of EPD creation for construction aggregates,” says Lianna Miller, Sustainability Manager at WAP and lead on the LCA for aggregate products. “It’s been a real pleasure working with the aggregate industry to tailor Theta Aggregate to meet their needs while also ensuring the tool complies with Buy Clean and other green procurement initiatives.”

WAP Sustainability, founded in 2008, is a global consultancy with a proven history of providing service-oriented product sustainability services for brands, manufacturers, and producers. Recognized as #1698 on the 2023 Inc. 5000 List, WAP Sustainability has quickly become one of the world’s leading life cycle assessment (LCA) services firms, with an industry-leading market share in the development of environmental product declarations (EPDs).

As the construction sector requests more transparency documentation on the life cycle impacts of products, the Theta family of EPD tools helps manufacturers to measure, report and disclose the environmental impacts of their products accurately and efficiently. In doing so, manufacturers can differentiate themselves in a carbon aware marketplace while accessing federal and competitive funding sources for future construction products.

 

About NSSGA:

NSSGA is the leading advocate for the aggregates industry. Its members – stone, sand and gravel producers and the equipment manufacturers and service providers who support them – produce the essential raw materials found in homes, buildings, roads, bridges and public works projects. NSSGA represents more than 90 percent of the crushed stone and 70 percent of the sand and gravel produced annually in the United States. Learn more at www.nssga.org.

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Green construction boost as new service provides transparent environmental data on concrete products.

Originally posted on GCCA’s website on July 18, 2023.

 

    • Major step forward for sustainability reporting and green construction

    • Production of Environmental Product Declarations on-demand allows concrete producers to show the environmental impact of their products

    • 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.

 

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WAP Sustainability announces the launch of Theta EPD, the Buy Clean Compliance Software®

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WAP Sustainability announces the launch of Theta EPD, the Buy Clean Compliance Software® to support GSA Buy Clean Inflation Reduction Act Requirements

 

WAP Sustainability, the leading U.S. provider of life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental product declarations (EPDs) services and tools, has announced the launch of Theta EPD.

Yesterday, the GSA announced its six-month pilot for the Buy Clean Inflation Reduction Act Requirements for low embodied carbon construction materials. The Pilot will apply GSA’s Interim IRA Low Embodied Carbon Material Requirements into procurement for eleven GSA construction and modernization projects. GSA’s interim requirements are based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Interim Determination that set global warming potential (GWP) limits and environmental product declaration (EPD) requirements for concrete, glass, asphalt and steel.

WAP’s announcement of Theta EPD provides solutions to manufacturers looking to comply with the GSA Pilot. Theta EPD is a software solution that provides LCA and EPD on-demand generation software for the concrete, steel, glass, and asphalt industries to comply with federal, state, and municipal level Buy Clean Policies.

● Theta EPD will provide LCA and EPD generation tools for the concrete, steel, glass, and asphalt industries as well as cement, slag, aggregate, asphalt binders, concrete pipe, and other industries.
● The launch of Theta EPD is linked to WAP’s acquisition of Trisight LLC. who developed the National Asphalt Pavement Association Emerald EcoLabel EPD tool and Coldstream Consulting who maintained a long-standing relationship with the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute as the developer of the Athena Concrete EPD Calculator
● In January, The Athena Institute and WAP Sustainability announced the transfer of the Athena Concrete EPD Calculator to WAP to better enable growth and servicing of this important tool.
● The Athena Concrete EPD Calculator has now been rebranded, expanded, and reintroduced as Theta EPD for Concrete.
● With the launch of Theta EPD, WAP reinforces its role in helping companies and industry associations comply with the Federal Buy Clean Initiative EPD Requirements, specifically for steel, concrete, asphalt, and glass producers.

Theta EPD is officially an “EPD on-demand” software tool. The user-friendly online interface allows clients to upload product level information and generate product specific EPDs in minutes. Theta EPD users can select from three different services and pricing models that provide varying levels of technical support.

“You press the buttons”.
For this option, Theta offers a licensed version of software where the manufacturer can enter information and generate the EPD independently. Limited support and training provided.

“WAP presses the buttons”.
In this option, WAP works for the user to collect, organize, and process data to optimize the LCA and EPD within Theta EPD. We essentially do the LCA and EPD for you.

“We press the buttons together”.
In the final option, WAP and the client have the option to work together in a hybrid structure to complete the LCA and EPD within Theta EPD. WAP provides a fixed level of support in addition to the software license.

“We built Theta EPD to meet the market where the market is. Contrary to popular belief, software and especially LCA software, doesn’t run itself or only take one click. Software needs a dedicated user who can spend the time learning, using, and maximizing the software to its full potential. We find it helps when that user also knows the fundamentals of LCAs and EPDs along with the consequences of their button clicks” said William Paddock, Managing Director of WAP Sustainability. “In all our years of experience, we have met many capable people who don’t need WAP’s full-service approach, but there are many others that are busy making steel, glass, and concrete who could use WAP’s help. Our goal is to provide a solution for everyone.”

WAP Sustainability, founded in 2008, is a global consultancy with a proven history of providing service-oriented product sustainability services for brands, manufacturers, and producers. Recognized as #2067 on the 2022 Inc. 5000 List, WAP Sustainability has quickly become one of the world’s leading life cycle assessment (LCA) services firms, with an industry-leading market share in the development of environmental product declarations (EPDs).

In September, the White House announced its Federal Buy Clean Initiative, which requires and incentivizes the purchase of products with Environmental Product Declarations that also meet low carbon performance requirements. Other states including California, Colorado, New York and New Jersey have also passed forms of Buy Clean Legislation impacting manufacturers that produce or sell products into those markets.

“Theta EPD is ‘the Buy Clean Compliance software’. The software allows quick and easy EPD generation for all the impacted product categories outlined in the Federal Buy Clean Initiative and also provides access to WAP’s policy insights, Buy Clean compliance checks and customer specific GWP thresholds that can be utilized to benchmark between competitors”, said Josh Jacobs, Director of Sustainability at WAP Sustainability.

As the construction sector requests more transparency documentation on the life cycle impacts of products, the Theta EPD tool helps manufacturers to measure, report and disclose the environmental impacts of their products accurately and efficiently. In doing so, manufacturers can differentiate themselves in a carbon aware marketplace while accessing federal and competitive funding sources for future construction products.