GCP Applied Technologies has begun a partnership with Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, a nonprofit research collaborative bringing life cycle assessment to the construction sector. The new partnership leverages GCP product-specific life cycle assessment (LCA) data for concrete admixtures to develop environmental product declarations (EPD) for concrete mix designs.
“Building owners, municipalities, engineers, general contractors, and architects want to understand the environmental impact of the products they choose for their building projects,” says GCP Applied Technologies’ EPD Program Manager, Lisa Barnard, LEED AP O+M, WELL AP. “To address this need in the concrete sector, we have teamed up with Athena Sustainable Materials Institute to be our technical partner to drive our EPD program. The new program assists GCP customers in creating EPDs for their concrete mix design, leveraging GCP product-specific admixture LCA data.”
The Athena Impact Estimator is applicable for new construction, renovations and additions in all North American building types. It can model over 1,200 structural and envelope assembly combinations. It allows for quick and easy comparison of multiple design options.Athena Sustainable Materials Institute
“We are delighted to work with GCP Applied Technologies,” says Athena President Jennifer O’Connor. “This is a great example of industry using LCA to meet environmental objectives and show sustainability leadership.”
How GCP's EPD Program Works
GCP’s new EPD program first collects mix design data from the concrete plant, then uses LCAs of concrete materials and plant data to generate an EPD report in accordance with ISO standards. The third-party verified reports will help the concrete plant gain visibility into the environmental footprint of each concrete mix. Using this data helps support Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and other green building certifications, and helps organizations better understand how to achieve carbon reduction targets.
