Florida Construction News staff writer
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a plan to implement a new label program to help buyers find more climate-friendly construction materials for federal building, highway and infrastructure projects.
The label program will define “clean” construction materials and support the Biden administration’s Buy Clean Initiative, a procurement policy that aims to leverage the federal government’s purchasing power to grow the market for American-made, lower-carbon building materials.
Currently, production of construction materials accounts for more than 15% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.
The federal Inflation Reduction Act earmarks $350 million to support EPA’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from construction materials.
“America has an opportunity to lead the world in developing cleaner construction materials to cut climate pollution and reap unprecedented economic opportunities,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “By clearly labeling what ‘buy clean’ means for products like concrete, glass and steel, EPA will help accelerate demand for these materials and continue to build the clean energy economy.”
The label program will define what constitutes “clean” construction materials in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, which aims to grow the market and reward innovation for American-made, lower-carbon construction materials.
EPA officials say labeling requirements for each product type will be periodically reviewed and updated every two to four years to respond to and drive market shifts and help users meet sustainability objectives.
The program will prioritize steel, glass, asphalt and concrete, as there are significant opportunities to reduce climate pollution from these materials and they represent the vast majority of construction materials and products that government agencies purchase with federal funds.
EPA also issued several supporting documents to help implement the label program, including Product Category Rule (PCR) Criteria – guidelines for developing EPDs, the disclosures that communicate climate and other environmental impacts of products.
EPA will continue to seek stakeholder input on the ongoing development and implementation of the program.
Manufacturers that are planning to apply for EPA’s label and want guidance in measuring the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their materials and products can contact EPA at embodiedcarbon@epa.gov or visit the EPA website.
