NRMCA Joins Massachusetts State Affiliate and MIT for Embodied Carbon Workshop

The Massachusetts Port Authority invited NRMCA, the Massachusetts Concrete & Aggregates Producers Association (MaCAPA) and the MIT CSHub to an embodied carbon workshop to share concrete industry knowledge. Other participants included representatives from the design consulting  and construction communities as well as Massport’s in-house design, construction and sustainability personnel.

NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Luke McHugh focused on resilience and sustainability instead of concrete’s GWP resulting solely from material production. He stressed the point that for pavements, the use phase emissions of the pavement system are the most important consideration and that, as an owner, Massport should take a more holistic approach, allowing results from a full life cycle perspective to drive decisions.

McHugh's colleague, Director, Sustainability Codes and Standards, Tiffany Reed-Villarreal discussed the appropriate role of EPDs; how ACI 323 for Low Carbon Concrete provides a comprehensive framework for carbon reduction and how prescriptive specifications limit the industry’s ability to effectively meet carbon reduction goals. MaCAPA's Craig Dauphinais provided a summary of the steps that Massachusetts ready mixed concrete producers are taking to meet the carbon reduction goals that will be expected on future Massport projects.

Randy Kirchain of the MIT CSHub tied it all together at the workshop's conclusion, showcasing how MIT has led the industry’s research efforts to identify and to help reduce the GWP of concrete.

For more information, contact Luke McHugh at lmchugh@nrmca.org.