EPA seeks input on low-carbon construction materials, product labeling

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced an opportunity for public input on the draft approach for implementing a $100 million Label Program for Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials.

The EPA’s new program, made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act, aims to cut climate pollution linked to the manufacturing of construction products and materials, which accounts for 11 percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.

The label program will help to define what constitutes “clean” construction materials in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, which leverages the federal government’s power as a large purchaser to spur demand for low-emissions manufacturing. 

The draft approach for the label program proposes to standardize and improve the data manufacturers use in developing environmental product declarations (EPDs), which disclose products’ key environmental impacts. It also proposes a process by which the EPA would use data from EPDs and other sources to set thresholds for the amount of embodied carbon a product can have, relative to similar products, to qualify for the low embodied carbon label.

The final phase of the draft approach is for the program to certify materials and products and to create a central registry of certified products.

“Reducing emissions from construction materials is critical for our transportation climate strategy. EPA’s work on creating a Carbon Label Program will support the Department of Transportation and our stakeholder efforts to promote the use of low-carbon construction materials by increasing transparency and consistency for tracking environmental considerations,” says Ann Shikany, deputy assistant secretary for policy for the Department of Transportation (DOT).

EPA developed the draft approach for the label program with input from stakeholders, including the Federal Highway Administration in the DOT, the General Services Administration, other federal agencies and members of the public who responded to a request for information that EPA published last year.

Upon publication of the Federal Register notice, written comments should be submitted to docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2024-0038 on the government regulations page by March 15.