Interim Guidance for Upstream Suppliers - Public Comment Period
The Interim Guidance for Upstream Suppliers summarizes the minimum requirements and explains additional recommendations for upstream suppliers to prepare EPDs and LCAs for inclusion in asphalt mixture EPDs.
Please see out public comments page for a copy of the draft guidance document and instructions on how to submit comments. Comments must be submitted by September 21, 2023.
Industry Average Benchmarking Initiative
Data collection for the industry average benchmarking initiative is closed. Thank you to all who participated. We plan to reopen data collection this fall.
NAPA’s Verified EPD Tool
Emerald Eco-Label, NAPA’s verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) tool, makes it easy to quantify the environmental impact of an asphalt mix. Created by industry professionals and stakeholders and evaluated by sustainability experts, the Emerald Eco-Label EPD tool was developed in conformance with ISO 14025, ISO 21930, and the Product Category Rules (PCR) for Asphalt Mixtures. These standards establish the principles and procedures for developing a Type III environmental declaration program and prescribe specific rules for asphalt mixture EPDs.
Why Emerald Eco-Label?
A New Era of Green Construction
The green construction market is focused on product transparency. As a result, green construction rating systems – such as LEED v4, Greenroads, INVEST, and Envision – are structuring credits that encourage the use of products with life-cycle information communicated through Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) or that demonstrate through life-cycle assessment (LCA) a reduced environmental impact. V2.0 of the Emerald Eco-Label EPD tool gives a contractor's customer the ability to earn one point for the EPD LEED credit.
Road owners, agencies, and contractors need to share quantifiable metrics of sustainability and environmental impact with stakeholders. This might be as simple as a benchmark of what they are doing right now, or contractors and road owners might be asked to demonstrate a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Emerald Eco-Label can help asphalt producers benchmark their asphalt mixtures to assist their customers in meeting their environmental goals. Requests for EPDs are already starting, and other paving materials already are using EPDs to win projects.