Lafarge Canada has released more environmental product declarations (EPD) for concrete in the provinces of Alberta and Manitoba as part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability.
Lafargesays the EPDs provide third-party verified data critical to surging sustainable construction across Western Canada.
Piero Nanfara, director of quality assurance and control and development for concrete in Western Canada, says: “As the construction and building industry continues to shift its focus towards sustainability to combat the impacts of climate change, it is critical to establish a reliable and transparent means of evaluating and validating sustainable outcomes. We’re proud to share the information. It’s proof that our innovations and trials to reduce GHG are worthwhile, are tested, can perform, and provide the solutions that our communities need.”
Morkos Hanes, manager, at the Lafarge WCAN Technical and Development Centre, says: “There are a lot of specific details and components that are required to issue an EPD. We completed EPDs for our concrete mixes available in Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg – so anyone building there now has access to this information via ASTM.”
Lafarge recognises that while a business can issue information on their own, involvingASTM Internationalconfirms that an impartial third body reviews the data.
ASTM International is an American body of personnel that specialises in testing materials and developing standards that are recognised, accepted and used by industry and government in the global marketplace.
“It proves back the calculations,” Hanes continues. “Their committees develop a standard with due process, debate, and their own expertise. Meeting the standard is proof that a company has been reviewed and assessed.”
The company is to host a virtual panel of concrete and sustainability experts to discuss the role of EPDs in building materials on 16 September.
