Global Cement and Concrete Association and Athena Sustainable Materials Institute Announce Partnership to Produce On-Demand EPDs

14 October 2022, London, UK – The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) and Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, a leading think tank in sustainable construction and life cycle assessment, have announced a partnership to produce environmental product declarations (EPDs) on-demand for concrete producers in North America. The EPD on-demand service will enable concrete producers to quickly, accurately and cost effectively produce verified EPDs of their products at the click of a button.

EPDs are becoming a key part of sustainable construction, allowing producers to transparently and objectively show the environmental impact of their products across a number of metrics, including global warming potential, often referred to as carbon footprint. The United Nations sponsored Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative (IDDI) launched a low carbon procurement initiative in September in Pittsburgh which will be adopted by national governments and will be based on EPDs. Various state and local governments have emerging Buy Clean initiatives which also require transparency around embodied emissions and rely on EPDs. Increasingly designers are requiring EPDs to assess their designs and support their decarbonisation efforts.

Under the partnership, the GCCA is working closely with Athena on integrating the GCCA EPD tool’s calculation engine into Athena’s EPD On-Demand system, and the service is expected to be fully functional in the coming months. This partnership will ensure that producers will have access to an automated tool that uses the GCCA EPD tool engine. The GCCA calculation engine has been independently verified and it complies with the EPD standards and PCRs.

GCCA and Athena are working to expand their coverage across the world.

Andrew Minson, Concrete and Sustainable Construction Director said: “The cement and concrete sector is playing a key part in sustainable construction, but this requires transparent, objective and accessible data on the environmental impact of our products.

Our collaboration with Athena will allow concrete producers to quickly and cost effectively produce EPDs that can demonstrate the contribution of their products to a sustainable world of tomorrow.”

James Salazar, EPD Director for Athena said: “Athena’s partnership with the GCCA leverages the GCCA’s industry-leading computation engine with Athena’s easy-to-use software and full-service support.

As requirements for EPDs grow, we’re excited to offer credible and low-cost solutions through close partnerships with industry leaders like the GCCA.”

About the GCCA

Launched in January 2018, the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) is dedicated to developing and strengthening the sector’s contribution to sustainable construction. The GCCA aims to foster innovation throughout the construction value chain in collaboration with industry associations as well as architects, engineers, and innovators. The association demonstrates how concrete solutions can meet global construction challenges and sustainable development goals while showcasing responsible industrial leadership in the manufacture and use of cement and concrete. It complements and supports the work of associations at national and regional levels.

About Athena Sustainable Materials Institute

The Athena Sustainable Materials Institute is a membership-based non-profit research collaborative bringing life cycle assessment (LCA) to the construction sector.
An objective think tank, the Athena Institute is working with leading edge construction sector practitioners, product manufacturers and policy makers in partnership towards the next generation of green buildings.