The North American Precast Concrete industry has announced the release of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) in three key precast concrete product categories. The EPDs will allow architects, engineers, building owners and other specifiers to better understand the environmental impacts of precast and prestressed concrete products.
The precast concrete industrywide EPDs are now available for the following products: architectural and insulated wall panels, structural precast concrete products and underground precast concrete products.
An EPD is a standardized, internationally recognized, comprehensive tool for providing information on a product’s environmental impact. Information in the EPD documents is based on an ISO-compliant Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and verified by a third-party. The detailed analysis considers all processes in the manufacturing of a product, including raw material and energy extraction, preliminary production and the manufacture of end products.
The industry wide EPDs, jointly released by the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI), the National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) and the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), are issued within clearly defined product groups based on the precast concrete Product Category Rules (PCR). Using products with EPDs can contribute to LEED credits. LEED v4 has incorporated a new credit for EPDs that have been third-party verified by an approved program operator. For more information on LEED credits, visit www.usgbc.org and www.cagbc.org.
The EPDs were independently prepared by Athena Sustainable Materials Institute in accordance with ISO 14025 and ISO 21930; the Product Category Rules for Preparing an Environmental Product Declaration for Precast Concrete (UN CPC 3755), March 2015; and ASTM international’s EPD program operator rules. They were also independently verified by ASTM International (in accordance with ISO 14025) and by Industrial Ecology Consultants (in accordance with ISO 14025 and the Product Category Rules).
CPCI, NPCA and PCI are the leading technical resources (Body of Knowledge (BOK)) for the precast concrete industry in North America. From this BOK, building codes, design guides, educational programs, certification, sustainability programs, and new research ideas are derived. This joint industry initiative develops, maintains, and disseminates the BOK necessary for designing, fabricating, and constructing sustainable and resilient precast concrete structures.
Founded in 1954, The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) is the technical institute for the precast concrete structures industry. PCI develops, maintains, and disseminates the body of knowledge for designing, fabricating, and constructing precast concrete structures. PCI provides technical resources, certification for companies and individuals, continuing education, as well as conducts research and development projects, conventions, conferences, awards programs and much more. To learn more – visit www.pci.org or email us at [email protected].
The Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI) is a national organization whose purpose is to advance the design, manufacture and use of structural, architectural and specialty precast/prestressed concrete in Canada. The CPCI mission is to:
- Lead and advocate the precast concrete industry’s contribution to a sustainable built environment and green building practices.
- Communicate the sustainable attributes of precast concrete products, systems, and services within the construction industry.
- Encourage the development of environmentally sound and sustainable practices in the design, procurement, production, transportation, and erection of precast concrete.
For more information on CPCI’s initiatives visit www.cpci.ca and follow us on social media: Facebook: Canadian Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute: Twitter: @CPCI_Canada
The National Precast Concrete Association represents manufacturers of plant-produced precast concrete products and the suppliers of products and services for the industry. Founded in 1965, NPCA currently represents members across the U.S., as well as in Canada, Mexico and throughout the world. We are dedicated to expanding the use of quality precast concrete and providing members with the programs and information required to operate a successful precast plant. For more information on NPCA, visit www.precast.org and follow us on social media: Facebook: National Precast Concrete Association / Twitter: @NationalPrecast
