Impact of Buy Clean and Low-Carbon Policies on the Sustainability of Concrete

Sunday, November 3, 2024  3:30 PM - 5:30 PM, Grand BR Salon C

ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete Concrete stakeholders, including materials producers, concrete manufacturers, structural engineers, governments, and contractors, are at the forefront of the construction industry's sustainability transformation. This session will shed light on the convergence of two pivotal policy initiatives, "Buy Clean" and "Low-Carbon"; and their profound implications for the sustainability of concrete. These policies emphasize the use of low-carbon construction materials, such as concrete, in public projects. A critical facet of this effort is the quantification of carbon emissions associated with building materials, encouraging the adoption of low-carbon alternatives to reduce construction-related greenhouse gas emissions. This session will explore the current status and potential improvements in the implemented and ongoing low-carbon policies around low-carbon cement-based products. By attending this session, participants will gain valuable insights into the evolving landscape of sustainable concrete production and its crucial role in combatting climate change. Real-world case studies and best practices will be explored, empowering attendees to make informed decisions in alignment with their sustainability goals.

Learning Objectives:
(1) Relate how Buy Clean policies can be written with the use of codes and standards for effective GHG reduction in concrete;
(2) Outline the progress made by the NIST Consortium in defining measurements and standards for expediting market adoption of low-carbon cement and concrete products;
(3) Interpret federal policies as they pertain to Buy-Clean in the concrete sector, as well as federal efforts to increase the robustness of the entire system;
(4) Discuss the various barriers to implementing buy-clean construction policies.

Federal Efforts on Buy-Clean: Updates on EPA’s Low Embodied Carbon programs per Sections 60112 and 60116 of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

Presented By: Peter Bacas
Affiliation:
Description: The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) leverages federal procurement and funding of buildings and infrastructure to catalyze markets for American-made construction materials and products with lower embodied carbon. As a key part of this work, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is building out a $250 million grants and technical assistance program to help American manufacturers report and verify greenhouse gas emissions via Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Further, IRA provided the EPA with an additional $100 million dollars to develop and carry out a program to identify and label construction materials and products that have substantially lower levels of embodied greenhouse gas emissions. As “Buy Clean” and other green procurement policies expand in the U.S., purchasers and designers need to be able to easily identify materials that meet their performance needs, comply with local and state laws, and contribute to their organizations’ climate goals. This session will provide an overview of the current state of building and infrastructure EPDs in North America and highlight ongoing efforts by the federal government and international organizations to improve Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Product Category Rules (PCRs) and background (secondary) data –all to enhance data quality of EPDs for concrete and other materials. The EPA will also share updates from the EPD Assistance Program, including issuing grants totaling approximately $100 million and providing direct technical assistance to advance EPD improvements and availability in North America.

Understanding and Overcoming Barriers to Implementation of Low Carbon Concrete Policies

Presented By: Matthew Adams
Affiliation: New Jersey Institute of Technology
Description: A wide range of policies have been developed and implemented recently to encourage the implementation of low-carbon and sustainable concrete. While many people believe that technology has been the only barrier to implementation of these policies, often it is a complex web of barriers that can stall out or prevent implementation of sustainable construction. This presentation will discuss these barriers and present potential solutions for overcoming the barriers. Examples of successful policy will be shown along with potential future avenues for buy clean implementation.

The Concrete Industry’s Perspective on Public Procurement of Low Carbon Construction Materials

Presented By: Brian Killingsworth
Affiliation: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
Description: Through policy and legislation, public infrastructure owners are beginning to procure construction materials with reduced environmental impact by primarily focusing on global warming potential. These efforts are commendable and coincide with the cement and concrete industry’s efforts to be net zero by 2050. The concrete industry has been a leader in benchmarking it’s environmental footprint and transparently reporting through the development of Environmental Product Declarations for over a decade. This presentation will highlight these efforts and discuss further enhancements made to meet public procurement policies.

Legislating Technical Requirements: Why Buy Clean Policies are a Poor Substitute for Codes and Standards

Presented By: Emily Lorenz
Affiliation:
Description: In an effort to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to the use of concrete, various state and federal agencies in the U.S. have enacted legislation related to procurement requirements. These procurement requirements place maximum allowable limits for GHG for concrete (also called “Buy Clean”). Depending on several factors—such as the stakeholders involved in drafting the legislation—Buy Clean policies are often well intentioned but lack the technical details to facilitate GHG reductions. The speaker will present a case for use of codes and standards as a basis for legislation. She will also give insight into what tools, codes and standards are available to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of concrete.

NIST’s Low Carbon Cements and Concrete Consortium

Presented By: Maria Knake
Affiliation: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Description: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) brings together stakeholders from industry, academia, and government to identify and address measurement and standards needs related to low carbon cements and concretes through the Low Carbon Cements and Concretes Consortium. Standards play a critical role in supporting the emergence and growth of new technologies, as well as acceleration of market adoption. The consortium’s collaborative efforts aim to establish standardized measurement practices to enhance confidence in the quality and reliability of low carbon cements and concretes among stakeholders.