A little over a month ago, the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) released its first-ever, industry wide emissions inventory. An important step in its "The Road Forward" initiative, a program designated with the important task of bringing the carbon emissions for its industry down to effectively net-zero by the year 2050. This past week, two large asphalt production companies decided to show their commitment to the project by becoming official sponsors.
The first company, Teichert Materials, is a 20-year NAPA member, produces asphalt in northern California and Nevada, along with other construction products and services. The second, Holcim US, is a new member of NAPA, offers asphalt pavement products in 46 states. Parent company Holcim Group, Ltd., was the first global building materials company to sign the United Nations Global Compact “Business Ambition for 1.5°C” initiative, and pilots several other sustainability projects in other areas like renewable energy and the development of carbon capture technology.
According to NAPA president and CEO Audrey Copeland, the initial phase of "The Road Forward" has largely been about educating and engaging industry leaders, garnering their support and listening to their innovative ideas, while also paying attention to the very real challenges carbon emission reduction poses for them. In 2023, closer to the association's annual meeting, members and partners will start to define the incremental steps to achieve the 2050 goals.
Copeland says, “We are pleased that long-time member Teichert and new member Holcim US have joined The Road Forward to share their environmental expertise and lessons learned while serving diverse communities across the country. Their support of The Road Forward propels our collective vision for the future: sustainable communities and commerce, connected by net zero carbon asphalt pavements.”
A Plan of Action
In supporting The Road Forward, Holcim US and Teichert are providing industry leadership on climate action. Their help funds ongoing research and education to aid the entire U.S. asphalt, but that isn't the whole story. One example is Holcim's overall scope of environmental investment, long before they joined NAPA, reveals this endorsement to be genuine.
This is true of a many other companies that make up the industry. They feel the winds of change, and know those who are on the cutting edge may pay a cost now, but will be better off long-term. The transition isn't just good for the earth, it's also good for business.
In a post to Holcim's LinkedIn page, it reads "Our commitment to sustainability motivates us to strategically partner with organizations that drive a more climate-conscious focus across all our operations. To this end, we are proud to partner with the National Asphalt Pavement Association as a sponsor of The Road Forward, an industry-wide initiative to achieve net-zero carbon emissions for the asphalt pavement industry."
But what does this all mean? What material changes are expected? When will these changes go into effect?
A representative from NAPA, speaking with forconstructionpros.com, explained that the support from asphalt producing companies has been a welcomed, if slightly unexpected response to the "The Road Forward". Those who step up to the challenge are looking for ways to contribute, as well as for guidance from the association on how to make positive change. Of course, the NAPA team of engineers is still in the early process of laying out it's multi-decade plan.
The continued influx of support bolsters their efforts and provides the kind of resources to bring their vision to life, and hopefully it is a sign of even greater buy-in as the project evolves.
For more information about The Road Forward, including details on the industry goals and how your company can support this work, visit AsphaltPavement.org/Forward.
