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Sustainability and the Concrete Industry

NEW Sustainable Concrete Pavements: A Manual of Practice This manual, developed by the Concrete Pavement Research and Technology Center (CP Tech Center) at Iowa State University provides detailed information on sustainability concepts for concrete pavements. The intended audience includes decision makers and practitioners in both owner-agencies and supply, manufacturing, consulting, and contractor businesses. Readers will find individual chapters with the most recent technical information and best practices related to concrete pavement design, materials, construction, use/operations, renewal, and recycling. In addition, they will find chapters addressing issues specific to pavement sustainability in the urban environment and to the evaluation of pavement sustainability. download

NEW MIT Research Results:

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) ongoing research through the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub has set a new standard in life-cycle assessment (LCA) modeling. The three reports published in August, 2011, discuss initial findings on the life-cycle environmental and economic costs of pavement, commercial buildings and residential building. The results provide a rigorous means of testing the relative environmental impact of paving and building materials and design alternatives.

Download summaries of the reports:

MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Commercial Buildings
MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Residential Buildings
MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Pavements
MIT Research: Effects of Inflation and Volatility on Construction Materials

Download Summary Presentations of the MIT Research:

MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Commercial Buildings
MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Residential Buildings
MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Pavements
MIT Research: Effects of Inflation and Volatility on Construction Materials

Download Detailed Presentations of the MIT Research:

MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Commercial Buildings - 30 minutes

MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Residential Buildings - 30 minutes

MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Pavements - 30 minutes

MIT Research: Effects of Inflation and Volatility on Construction Materials - 20 minutes

Download the Full MIT Reports:

Buildings Life Cycle
Pavements Life Cycle
Inflation and its Volatility on Construction
 

Click here to download the NRMCA Sample Letter to the Editor

Click here to download the NRMCA strategic plan for leveraging the MIT LCA interim research results.

Click here to download a presentation describing strategies and ideas for promoting the MIT LCA interim research results.

Click here to download a recording of a webinar originally delivered on September 8, 2011, by NRMCA staff describing strategies for leveraging the MIT LCA year 2 research results.
 

NEW Sustainable Concrete Plant Certification The NRMCA Sustainable Concrete Plant Certification program provides a quantitative, performance-based metric, to allow ready mixed concrete producers to demonstrate excellence in sustainable development. The Certification provides ready mixed concrete plant personnel with specific guidance to assess their production practices and implement sustainability strategies that will ultimately lower their overall footprint.

NRMCA Concrete Sustainability Professional Certification

The goal of this certification program is to ensure that concrete industry professionals are knowledgeable on concepts of sustainable development and green building practices.

Biodiversity at Ready Mixed Concrete Plants (Wildlife Habitat Council – Wildlife at Work Program)

NRMCA and the Wildlife Habitat Council have formed a partnership designed to encourage participation in the programs of each organization while demonstrating voluntary corporate leadership in environmental performance.

NRMCA Sustainability Initiatives 11x17  (PDF) NRMCA Sustainability Initiatives 8.5x11 (PDF)

This document outlines goals for reducing the overall environmental footprint of concrete construction and provides strategies for achieving these goals.

NEW NRMCA 2011 Sustainability Report (PDF) NRMCA has published the 2011 Sustainability Report to communicate the ready mixed concrete industry’s progress toward meeting sustainability goals. In 2009, the U.S. ready mixed concrete industry established a vision, strategies and goals toward sustainable concrete manufacturing and construction. At the same time, the concrete industry was experiencing the worst economic downturn in its history and unprecedented regulatory changes. However, despite these challenges, the industry has re-dedicated itself to upholding the principles of sustainable development by establishing programs to help meet the aggressive goals it set for itself in 2009. The NRMCA 2011 Sustainability Report describes how the industry has invested millions of dollars in cutting edge research, new education and training programs, new personnel and plant certifications and codes and standards advocacy to establish concrete as the sustainable material of choice for building and infrastructure projects and lower its environmental footprint.

New Publication: Guide to Improving Specifications for Ready Mixed Concrete
This document, authored by NRMCA's Research, Engineering and Standards Committee, was developed based on comments and issues that arose while reviewing actual project specifications used in the concrete construction industry.

Other Publications

RMCREF LEED Guide Revised 01-10 download | purchase

Concrete CO2 Fact Sheet download

CSR01 - Concrete's Contribution to LEED 2009 NC download | purchase

CSR02 - Concrete and Climate Change download | purchase

CSR03 - Sustainability of Concrete Pavements download | purchase

CSR04 - Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Buildings download

CSR05 - MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Commercial Buildings download
CSR06 - MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Residential Buildings download
CSR07 - MIT Research: Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Pavements download
CSR08 - MIT Research: Effects of Inflation and Volatility on Construction Materials download

Building Codes and Standards

State and Local Issues
Model Code Language
Sustainability

NRMCA Sustainability-Related Courses and Conferences:

•   NRMCA Concrete Sustainability Professional Certification Program

•   Concrete's Role in Sustainable Development: Online Course & Certification

•   Building Green with Concrete: Online Course & Certification

•   Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Structures Online Course

•   LEED Green Associate Exam Online Study Course

•   Pervious Concrete: A Stormwater Solution Online Course

•   Design of Concrete Pavements Online Course

•   2011 International Concrete Sustainability Conference

    August 9-11, 2011 - Boston, MA

•   Seminars for Architects and Engineers

The ready mixed concrete industry is dedicated to upholding the principles of sustainable development
—development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs—by attempting to balance social, economic and environmental impacts. Sustainability has become part of the fabric of society. Corporations in every industry are shaped by their customers’ desire to be more environmentally responsible. Companies that adopt sustainable practices will become preferred suppliers. While environmental performance, including greenhouse gas emissions, will be increasingly monitored and regulated, voluntary initiatives such as the one presented here will help achieve ambitious sustainability goals.

Construction industry stakeholders—including project owners, designers, contractors and product manufacturers—are especially affected by the challenges of sustainable development since the built environment has significant environmental, social and economic impact on our lives and planet. On one hand, our built environment provides us with places to live and work and contributes to a robust economy and societal needs. On the other, operating our buildings, houses and infrastructure consumes enormous amounts of energy and valuable resources. Building products require natural resources and energy to produce and transport. New construction projects can burden natural habitats.

The concrete industry is uniquely positioned to meet the challenges of sustainable development. Its products help improve the overall environmental footprint of the built environment. For example, high performance concrete wall and floor systems help improve energy performance of buildings. Light colored pavements reduce urban heat islands and minimize lighting requirements. Pervious concrete pavements reduce and treat stormwater runoff. Concrete is extremely durable and provides for long service life. And the industry continues to develop new sustainable products through research and development.

The concrete industry is dedicated to continuous improvement through product and process improvements. The industry continues to increase the use of recycled materials, including industrial by-products, thus conserving valuable natural resources and reducing process energy required to manufacture concrete. The industry continues to explore new ways to further reduce the carbon footprint through the development of innovative cements and concrete mixtures. Concrete companies also strive to improve manufacturing processes, including the use of alternative energy sources, to minimize the energy of production and the associated greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, the industry continues to enhance transportation efficiency and delivery methods to reduce the environmental impact of the construction process.

This NRMCA Sustainability Initiatives document outlines goals for reducing the overall environmental footprint of concrete construction and provides strategies for achieving these goals. The concrete industry has been a key contributor in building this nation’s infrastructure and will continue to enhance the sustainability of our built environment for generations to come.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. Submit comments to Lionel Lemay, LLemay@nrmca.org, 847-918-7101.

Sustainability | Certification | Green Concrete | Sustainability Committee | Building Codes