AISI releases environmental rules for N. American steel construction products

“Our goal is to ensure that EPDs for steel products are comprehensive and consistent in their reporting of environmental impacts,” AISI President and CEO Kevin Dempsey said in the release.

The EPDs cover the carbon footprint, but there are also a number of other environmental impact categories included.

AISI said the guidelines “were developed over the course of more than a year through a committee structure.”

It was made up of nearly 30 participants from industry, consulting, academia, government agencies and others — including many AISI members, according to the association.

AISI said it sponsored and served as a technical lead in the development of the new version, published under Program Operator Smart EPD. 

The updated version “supersedes previous iterations” and is valid for five years. The full publication can be found here.

Incentive

As for the incentive for getting an EPD, Tyler Hengen, director of sustainability and environment for AISI, cited two primary reasons to SMU.

“One would be that, for example, an engineering firm could require EPDs for products going into a building,” he said. “Also, many governmental programs and independent standards use EPDs both for threshold-setting as well as for demonstrating compliance.”

Another reason would be beyond any requirement, Hengen added.

“It’s also a strong marketing tool, especially for the domestic industry, to be able to say, ‘These are our emissions,’” he noted. “It can give a comparison of what the carbon footprint can be for a domestic product vs. a product made elsewhere.”