The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has published an industry-wide Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Concrete that has been verified by NSF Sustainability, a division of global public health organization NSF International.
The declaration:
· Lists impacts for concrete ranging in compressive strength from 2,500 psi through 8,000 psi
· Covers concrete products used in residential, commercial, and public construction produced by 70 NRMCA member companies in 2,300 concrete plants
· Presents the impacts for average concrete mixtures at the national level and in eight different regions of the country
· Includes reporting criteria for global warming potential, ozone depletion potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, and photochemical ozone creation/smog potential, along with other impacts such as depletion of non-renewable energy resources, water consumption, and waste
This information is important for companies supplying concrete to building projects seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) v4 status or trying to meet other green building and sustainability goals. For example, to earn the relevant credit under LEED v4, building projects needs to source at least 20 products that have third-party verified EPDs.
(http://www.nrmca.org/sustainability/EPDProgram/Downloads/NRMCA%20EPD%2010.08.2014.pdf)
