LEED EPD certification Ready Mix Concrete verified EPDs - LEED for Concrete & Cement Products in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah, UAE, Doha, Qatar, Muscat, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, KSA, Saudi Arabia
Introduction: Environmental Product Declarations
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a communication document that quantifies environmental impact data from manufacturing a product. It is a summarized report extracted from an in-depth Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that complies with the ISO 14040 series. Although environmental disclosure can found in a variety of reports, they are most often cited as an Industry-Average EPD, or preferably, a Product-Specific EPD.
EPDs are being specified in green building standards and codes (LEED, IGCC) v4, advocacy initiatives (Architecture 2030 Challenge for Products) and even referenced in State and Local legislation. These types of market-based and regulatory initiatives are driving an increase of EPDs in many industries and product categories. – LEED EPD certification Ready Mix Concrete & Cement Products in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah, UAE, Doha, Qatar, Muscat, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, KSA, Saudi Arabia
For Environmental Product Declaration in GCC (EPD), refer to https-www-envirolink-me-environmental-product-declarations-epd/
For Health Product Declaration in GCC (HPD), refer to https://www.envirolink.me/health-product-declarations-hpd/
For our other Green / Sustainability solutions we offer in Middle-East, please click https://www.envirolink.me/solutions/
Note: In LEED a “product” is defined by the distinct function it serves. That means concrete has the advantage of contributing significantly because of concrete’s wide range of applications or functions. For example, footings, foundations walls, shear walls, bearing walls, columns, beams, slabs, sidewalks and parking areas, each with a unique mix design, would all be considered different products.
Published Product Category Rules
Product category rules are defined in ISO 14025 as a set of specific rules, requirements, and guidelines, for developing environmental declarations for one or more products that can fulfill equivalent functions. PCR determine what information should be gathered and how that information should be evaluated for an environmental declaration.
Specifying Sustainable Concrete
Sustainable concrete is difficult to define. There are many factors that can influence the way concrete is manufactured, designed, built, used and recycled that ultimately affect the environmental footprint of the structures built with concrete. Whether one is designing a building, pavement, bridge or dam, concrete is an important component used as foundation and superstructure, and these structures can have a significant impact on the environment throughout their lifecycle.
- Analyze the difference between performance-based specification and prescriptive specifications.
- Evaluate how performance-based specifications can improve performance and lower environmental impact of concrete structures.
- Learn how to implement performance-based specifications in projects.
- Demonstrate the importance of balancing structural and architectural performance of concrete with green building strategies.
The reinforced concrete industry actively supports the transparent reporting of environmental impacts associated with construction products. Many rating systems (LEED V4), standards (ASHRAE 189.1) and green building codes (IgCC) require the submission of environmental product declarations (EPDs) for products delivered to the project site. These EPDs rely on the results of life-cycle assessments to provide information on a number of environmental impacts related to the manufacture of the product, including global warming potential, ozone depletion, acidification, eutrophication and ozone creation.
This EPD for steel reinforcement, which covers the product life cycle from cradle to fabricator gate, satisfies the submission requirements for programs such as LEED and Green Globes. Based on the rules spelled out in the ISO standards relative to EPDs, they can only be used by firms who participated in the development of the EPD through membership in the producing organization.
For Environmental Product Declaration in GCC (EPD), refer to https-www-envirolink-me-environmental-product-declarations-epd/
For Health Product Declaration in GCC (HPD), refer to https://www.envirolink.me/health-product-declarations-hpd/
For our other Green / Sustainability solutions we offer in Middle-East, please click https://www.envirolink.me/solutions/
LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a point-based rating system that is internationally recognized in over 160 countries for green building practices. The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and LEED Canada work together to facilitate sustainability in building practices.
A building requires a minimum of 26 LEED points for certification. The more sustainable products that are used to manufacture a building, the more points are earned. Silver, gold, and platinum certifications are also available for those who demonstrate exceptional building sustainability on their project.
Why Choose Concrete?
The use of concrete can help facilitate LEED Green Building certification in different ways. Various concrete mixes for a variety of functions qualify under Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) standards, earning a building points with each one used.
Key LEED Credits
Below are the main categories builders can comply with to earn LEED credits, and the total number of points available for each.
- Sustainable Sites: 14 points
- Water Efficiency: 5 points
- Energy & Atmosphere: 17 points
- Materials & Resources: 14 points
- Indoor Environmental Quality: 15 points
- Innovation & Design Process: 5 points
Cement & Concrete for LEED Credit
Redevelopment of Contaminated Sites: 1 point
Sustainable Sites, Credit 3
- Cement can be used to solidify and stabilize contaminated soil to reduce leaching
- To qualify, proof of contamination must exist
Reduced Site Disturbance (Protect/Restore Open Space): 1 point
Sustainable Sites, Credit 5.1
- Build parking space under the building in lieu of using external space
- Reduce need for clearing vegetation to accommodate parking
- Limit site disturbance to 12m beyond building perimeter
Reduced Site Disturbance (Development Footprint): 1 point
Sustainable Sites, Credit 5.2
- Build parking space under the building in lieu of using external space
- Reduce need for external paving to accommodate parking
- Exceed local zoning open space requirements by 25%
Stormwater Management (Rate & Quantity): 1 point
Sustainable Sites, Credit 6.1
- Limit disruption and pollution of natural water flow
- Can be achieved using highly-permeable pervious concrete
- On sites with >50% imperviousness, reduce quantity of stormwater runoff by 25%
- On sites with <50% imperviousness, building must maintain or lessen stormwater runoff
Heat Island Effect (Non-Roof): 1 point
Sustainable Sites, Credit 7.1
- Use light-coloured or reflective exterior building materials for 30% of structure (not including roof)
- Concrete made with Portland cement, rather than asphalt can help to meet the requirement
- Another option is to place 50% of parking spaces underground
Minimum Energy Performance: Required (no points associated)
Energy & Atmosphere Prerequisite, Credit 2
- Demonstrate energy savings using a whole building energy simulation system
Optimize Energy Performance: Number of points varies
Energy, Credit 1
- Credit is allowed if energy cost savings can be shown compared to a base building
- Base must meet MNECB or ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNNA 90.1-1999 requirements
- Insulated concrete will most likely be eligible for points
Building Reuse: Number of points varies from 1 to 3
Materials, Credit 1
- Credit requires main portion of building to remain in place while renovating
- 75% of building left in place: 1 point
- 95% of building left in place: 2 points
- 50% of non-shell areas maintained: 3 points
Construction Waste Management: Number of points varies from 1 to 2
Materials, Credit 2
- Diverting construction/demolition/land waste from landfills
- Must divert 50% weight by volume
- Concrete is relatively heavy and can be crushed and recycled
- 50% of waste recycled or salvaged: 1 point
- 75% of waste recycled or salvaged: 2 points
- Important note: for concrete, just one of the “building reuse” or “construction waste management” credits can be applied for
Recycled Content: Number of points varies from 1 to 2
Materials, Credit 4
- This credit can be applied for if a certain composition of the building is made using post-consumer goods
- Sum of post-consumer recycled content plus ½ the post-industrial recycled content constitutes >7.5% of the materials’ value: 1 point
- Sum of post-consumer recycled content plus ½ the post-industrial recycled content constitutes >15% of the materials’ value: 2 points
- Using recycled concrete or slag as aggregate instead of extracted aggregates would qualify as post-consumer
Regional Content: Number of points varies from 1 to 2
Materials, Credit 5
- Supports the use of indigenous materials and reduced product transportation
- Credit recognizes the reduced impacts of rail or ship compared to truck
- Sourcing concrete mixes from local suppliers can help achieve this credit as many suppliers also source mix components locally as well
- Meeting all requirements: 1 point
- Surpassing requirements by 100%: 2 points
Durable Building: 1 point
Materials, Credit 8
- Incentive for durable buildings, recognizing resources required to replace materials with a short service life
- Concrete boasts an extreme longevity and can help in achieving this credit
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
LEED EPD certification Ready Mix Concrete & Cement Products in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah, UAE, Doha, Qatar, Muscat, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, KSA, Saudi Arabia
To demonstrate LEED v4 product sustainability performance, building product manufacturers are required to submit Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
What Defines a Product?
A product, according to LEED v4, is defined by the distinct function it serves. Most building components such as supports, stairs, and flooring all qualify as products.
Concrete has a distinct advantage compared to other building materials in that it has such a diverse range of purposes in building, from footings and columns to sidewalks and parking lots. Furthermore, each of these applications require a unique mix design and are all qualified as fundamentally different products as per LEED. This creates a situation where using concrete in its many variations, a builder is able to reach a significant number of the 20 required products, or the 50% of products by cost used in a building.
LEED EPD certification Ready Mix Concrete & Cement Products in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah, UAE, Doha, Qatar, Muscat, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, KSA, Saudi Arabia
For Environmental Product Declaration in GCC (EPD), refer to https-www-envirolink-me-environmental-product-declarations-epd/
For Health Product Declaration in GCC (HPD), refer to https://www.envirolink.me/health-product-declarations-hpd/
For our other Green / Sustainability solutions we offer in Middle-East, please click https://www.envirolink.me/solutions/