CONCRETE PAVEMENT PROGRESS 16 WWW.ACPA.ORG EDP REQUIREMENTS EPD Requirements Are on the Horizon ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS (EPDS) ARE SOMETHING CONTRACTORS HAVE BEEN HEARING ABOUT FOR A QUITE A WHILE, BUT AS NOTED IN THIS ISSUE’S ARTICLE “RC3 HELPS STATE DOTS APPLY FOR $1.2B IN FUNDING,” EXPERTS FROM RC3 ANTICIPATE THERE WILL SOON BE A SHIFT FROM EPDS BEING ONLY A THEORETICAL NEED TO BECOMING A PRACTICAL ONE. The experts from RC3 also believe EPDs will proliferate rapidly, since clear financial incentives are just around the corner. This will be a game changer for contractors competing in the marketplace. For contractors looking to develop an EPD, RC3 has put together a framework to get started. What is an EPD? EPDs are transparent, third-party-verified reports that communicate the impacts of construction materials in terms of global warming potential, resource use, energy and emissions. The intent of EPDs is to help agencies understand the embodied environmental impacts of their construction projects and help reduce those impacts over time. According to the FHWA,1 “agencies can leverage the use of EPDs to support decision-making throughout the project delivery process. Agencies can request EPDs at material installation to establish and develop benchmarks for current designs and projects.” Given the governmental focus on environmental impacts, and specifically EPDs, the time has come for industry to quantify its impacts and deliver low-carbon concrete. Getting Started To produce an EPD, a contractor may need to work with a sustainability consultant. ACPA has partnered with WAP Sustainability2 to provide discounted access to ACPA members for their EPD tool (called Theta EPD). The link to get started with WAP Sustainability is here.3 While some contractors are choosing to wait to develop an EPD until their agency requires it, it is highly encouraged that they begin collecting the necessary data now. Preparing in advance will enable contractors to deliver EPDs when the time comes. A spreadsheet for this purpose can be found at epddata.acpa.org.4 An introductory video on EPDs can be found at: https://rc3.acpa.org/service/contractorsupport/ .5 ACPA is still committed to the importance of a life cycle approach to evaluating the environmental impacts of concrete infrastructure, but delivering cradle-to-gate EPDs is the first step in the quantification efforts for the full life cycle. For questions or additional information, please contact Eric Ferrebee, P.E., Senior Director of Technical Services, American Concrete Pavement Association at [email protected]. To receive regular communications, please sign up for the RC3 distribution list: rc3.acpa.org. References: 1. U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), “Center for Accelerating Innovation,” 2024: https://www. fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/ edc_7/sustainable_epds.cfm 2. WAP Sustainability website: https:// wapsustainability.com/ 3. Theta EPD website: https://thetaepd.com/ signup/acpa 4. Cooper, M., “Construction Processes Data Collection Form,” ACPA, 2023: https://acpaorgmy.sharepoint.com/:x:/g/personal/andyg_ acpa_org/ES4pLiPyLyVGqucEgzMexXUBwchfEFN1 uJANGMzWPXAQ2w?rtime=M9FKbu7M3Eg 5. ACPA, “EPD Kickoff Webinar with WAP Sustainability,” RC3: https://rc3.acpa.org/service/ contractor-support/
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