New cement and concrete sector EPD tool
GCCA launches new tool to help industry reduce environmental impact and support global sustainability goals
THE Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched an industry EPD tool to support the publication of environmental product declarations (EPDs) by cement and concrete producers.
Originally commissioned by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Cement Sustainability Initiative (whose cement sustainability functions are now part of the GCCA), the new GCCA industry EPD tool includes the latest database of energy impacts from cement production from across the world, supporting the output of more accurate EPD data.
Dr Andrew Minson, the GCCA’s concrete and sustainable construction director, said: ‘We are committed to supporting the cement and concrete industry to reduce its environmental impact and support global sustainability goals.
‘With the launch of the new EPD Tool, we are enabling the industry and its customers to better quantify and verify the life-cycle environmental impact of existing products and to develop lower-impact products in the future.’
The GCCA is making the tool available to all producers and organizations in the cement and concrete industry, to increase availability to designers and clients of EPDs to support the sector in delivering a sustainable built environment.
Dr Minson (pictured) added: ‘We believe the EPD Tool will help towards our mission of ensuring that concrete is seen as the sustainable building material of choice for today and the future needs of the world.’
In addition to helping quantify the environmental impact of existing products, the GCCA industry EPD tool can also be used during product development, allowing quick and easy comparisons between options of differing constituents and mixes to determine how to reduce environmental impacts, while delivering the required performance characteristics.
The GCCA industry EPD tool has been developed by Quantis, verified by Studio Fieschi, and is the first industry tool in the International EPD System. It is based on internationally recognized standards and product category rules.
To widen understanding in the industry of EPDs in general and the tool in particular, a webinar will be held on 28 October at 1pm Central European Time, to explain more fully what an EPD is, why there is demand for them and the ways cement and concrete manufacturers can obtain them.
The webinar will also explain what the GCCA industry EPD tool does, how the data can be used to modify and evolve cement and concrete products, and the options for communicating EPD data to customers. To register for the webinar, email: info@gccassociation.org
