NRMCA Certifies First EPD

The NRMCA established the EPD Program in 2012 to enable its members to meet new requirements in LEED v4 and the Architecture 2030 Challenge for Products.

The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has certified the first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for concrete in North America. The EPD covers 1,479 concrete mixes, which are all produced by Central Concrete, Inc., located in the San Francisco Bay area.

EPDs are third-party verified reports published by product manufacturers that provide information regarding the environmental performance of their product, and are intended to assist specifiers, purchasers and product users.

"Think of an EPD as a nutrition label for a product; but instead of providing information such as calories, fat content and carbohydrates, an EPD provides information about environmental impacts such as global warming potential, smog formation, energy use and water use," said Lionel Lemay, senior vice president, sustainable development with NRMCA. "Central Concrete has demonstrated a leadership role by becoming the first concrete company in North America to publish a verified EPD."

The objective of the NRMCA EPD Program is to help develop, verify and publish EPDs for ready mixed concrete and its ingredients. To maintain third-party objectivity, NRMCA ensures that an independent verifier reviews and verifies each EPD developed under the NRMCA EPD Program before certifying the EPD.

For more information about the NRMCA or their EPD Program, please visit nrmca.org.

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