Concrete Product Category Rules Set for Release
February 2012 | 2030 Challenge for Products
The first U.S. Product Category Rules (PCRs) for Concrete have been released for public comment by the Carbon Leadership Forum. Written to meet the targets of the 2030 Challenge for Products, these PCRs provide the methodology for calculating the carbon footprint (i.e. the global warming potential) of concrete.
Researchers from the University of Washington’s College of Built Environment’s Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) have worked with a diverse stakeholder committee to develop standards (Product Category Rules/PCRs) to track and report the environmental footprint of concrete. Use of these standards will enable producers to report the ‘environmental footprint’ (Environmental Product Declaration/EPD) of different concrete mixes and enable architects and engineers to specify low impact concrete. The standard is now posted for stakeholder input and available at the CLF PCR Website. Comments from engineers, architects, material manufactures and concrete suppliers as well as life cycle assessment and environmental scientists are sought.
The standard is expected to help people in the building industry meet the 2030 Challenge for Products. Launched a year ago today, the challenge calls for dramatically reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions related to the manufacture and transportation of construction products. Building industry specific PCRs, like the concrete standard released today, as well as industry benchmarks are key to advancing the goals of the 2030 Challenge for Products.
Read the full press release here.
