The EPA recently announced it’s implementing a new label program to boost clean American manufacturing by helping federal purchasers and other buyers find and buy cleaner, more climate-friendly construction materials and products.

“The label program is made possible by a $100 million investment in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and aims to cut climate pollution linked to the production of construction products and materials, which accounts for more than 15% of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” an Agency news release states.

“The use of lower carbon materials, that have the durability of conventional materials while lowering [GHG] emissions, is one pathway that FHWA is pursuing to help us achieve President Biden’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050,” said Hari Kalla, the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) associate administrator for infrastructure, in the EPA’s release. “EPA’s announcement today supports transportation agencies throughout the country with tools to ensure we are appropriately implementing low-carbon materials.”

The label program announcement builds on the EPA’s selection of 38 organizations in July to collectively receive nearly $160 million to help businesses develop environmental product declarations (EPDs), which report climate pollution linked to the production of construction materials and products.

“The label program will define what constitutes ‘clean’ construction materials in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, which aims to grow the market and reward innovation for American-made, lower-carbon construction materials,” the news release adds.

The EPA plans to review and update labeling requirements for each product type every 2 to 4 years to respond to and drive market shifts and help users meet sustainability objectives.

“The [IRA] also provides more than $2 billion to the General Services Administration to use clean materials in the construction and renovation of federal buildings and $2 billion to the FHWA to incentivize or reimburse the use of clean construction materials in transportation projects,” the Agency’s release continues. “Federal purchasing plays a significant role in industries like concrete, as federally funded government purchases account for more than 50% of all concrete poured in the U.S. every year. Materials and products that earn the new label will be listed in a central, publicly accessible registry, making it easier to identify - and purchase - these materials.”

Under the label program, priority materials include steel, glass, asphalt, and concrete because the Agency sees significant opportunities to reduce climate pollution from these materials and they represent most construction materials and products that government agencies purchase with federal funds.

To implement the labeling program, the EPA issued several supporting documents, including:

• Product Category Rule (PCR) Criteria, guidelines for developing EPDs
• An outline of key remaining data gaps
• A methodology for assessing life-cycle data quality
• Federal data quality improvement activities
• Stakeholders providing input to develop the label program approach and PCR Criteria include:
• Department of Transportation’s FHWA
• General Services Administration
• Department of Defense
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Other federal agencies
• Public comments solicited through Notices of Availability published in the Federal Register earlier this year and a 2023 request for information

“EPA will continue to seek stakeholder input on the ongoing development and implementation of this program,” according to the release. “Next, EPA will request input on the draft conformity assessment system, which is a rigorous process for verifying a product or material has earned the label. EPA will also request input on the first draft product type threshold(s), which will set standards to determine which construction materials and products will be eligible to carry the label based on information from EPDs and other data sources.”

Companies planning to apply for the label can find guidance for measuring the GHG emissions associated with materials and products by contacting the EPA at embodiedcarbon@epa.gov or by visiting the EPA’s Sustainable Marketplace: Greener Products and Services website.