News Detail

Ensuring Sustainability and Resilience

11/1/2016

The genesis of ACI's current emphasis on sustainability and resilience goes back to the "Concrete Summit on Sustainable Development," which was held March 29-30, 2007, in conjunction with the ACI Foundation Strategic Development Council's Session #21 in Washington, DC. Discussions there led to the establishment of ACI Committee 130, Sustainability of Concrete. The committee first met in November 2008 under the leadership of Dick Stehley, Chair, and Julie Buffenbarger, Secretary.

ACI Committee 130 is one of ACI's most active. It is in the final stages of publishing its first document, titled "Report on Contribution, Impacts, and New Technologies for Sustainable Construction." The document will include an overview of the materials commonly used in sustainable concrete construction, the benefits of their use, and efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of their production and use.

On April 8, 2009, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by ACI, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), and the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and later expanded to include nearly 30 participating organizations. This agreement was a joint declaration of an industry vision for a sustainable future, and it led to the formation of the Concrete Joint Sustainability Initiative (CJSI). CJSI meetings are now held in conjunction with Concrete and Masonry Related Associations (CAMRA).

In conjunction with ACI Committee 130, the ACI Certification Programs Committee and ACI Subcommittee C601-E are pursuing the development of a Concrete Construction Sustainability and Resilience Assessor certification program. The objective of the program is to help concrete construction professionals obtain the required knowledge and skills to reduce the environmental footprint of concrete construction and develop/improve the resilience plan of concrete construction projects.

Just recently, at The ACI Concrete Convention and Exposition in Philadelphia, PA, ACI hosted its ninth annual Concrete Sustainability Forum. Under the leadership of Koji Sakai and Julie Buffenbarger, the forum featured presentations from experts on new technologies, sustainability assessment systems, and sustainability design from countries around the globe.

In early June, I attended the Low Carbon Technology Partnerships Initiative (LCTPI) Conference in San Francisco, CA, organized by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. This proved to be a very enlightening meeting, as I learned more about the environmental challenges facing our industry and some of the possible solutions. On June 13-15, 2016, more than 200 concrete professionals gathered in Madrid, Spain, for the Second International Conference on Concrete Sustainability. This Conference was co-sponsored by ACI and was chaired by Koji Sakai. I had the privilege of delivering one of the keynote addresses. Numerous ACI members from around the globe were speakers, and Ron Burg and Kevin Mlutkowski of the ACI staff were also in attendance.

ACI has joined a group of companies and organizations throughout the concrete and cement sector as a founding member of the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC). The Council aims to develop a global responsible sourcing certification system for the cement and concrete sector. By creating a certification system for responsibly sourced concrete, the industry can highlight the essential role of concrete in creating a sustainable construction sector by minimizing the environmental footprint of buildings.

Through a product certification system, the CSC will encourage responsible practices across the construction value chain by providing companies and organizations around the world with incentives that reward sustainable efforts. Furthermore, the responsible sourcing system provides tangible evidence to share with customers, stakeholders, and shareholders that supports the internal investment in sustainability initiatives. A public launch of the certification system is anticipated in early 2017.

In recent years, the topic of resilience has become an integral component of sustainability. Several ACI Committees have focused their energies on resilience, including:

• ACI Committee 133, Disaster Reconnaissance;
• Joint ACI-TMS Committee 216, Fire Resistance and Fire Protection of Structures;
• ACI Committee 341, Earthquake-Resistant Concrete Bridges; and
• ACI Committee 377, Performance-Based Structural Integrity & Resilience of Concrete Structures.

The outstanding work of these and all committees is allowing ACI to have a profound effect on our built environment. ACI is committed to helping ensure sustainable and resilient structures for people across the globe, allowing them to have a better quality of life.

Michael J. Schneider