The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the USA has published a groundbreaking labelling programme designed to promote the use of sustainable construction materials. This announcement, aligned with the Biden Administration's “Federal Buy Clean Initiative,” aims to reduce the environmental impact of the built environment while stimulating the domestic manufacturing sector – and it is likely to have huge implications for the entire construction industry right across the world.
The EPA's label programme focuses on four key materials – steel, glass, asphalt, and concrete – which collectively account for a substantial portion of construction-related emissions. They believe that by defining clear criteria for "clean" construction materials, they will empower consumers, architects and builders to make informed choices that prioritise sustainability.
The core of this initiative lies in the development of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which provide transparent information about a product's environmental impact throughout its lifecycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life disposal. By standardising EPDs, the EPA aims to create a level playing field for manufacturers and facilitate comparisons between products. Click the link to read more:
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