LCA, EPDs, Energy Management, and Low Carbon Procurement – Exploring the Connections to EPA’s Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials Program

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides more than $4 billion in funding for federal, state, and local agencies to pay a premium for low embodied carbon construction products and materials. Under these programs, environmental product declarations (EPDs) serve as the basis for quantifying the embodied carbon associated with manufacturing construction products and materials. The IRA also provides $350 million in funding for EPA to develop a low embodied carbon construction material label program, standardize EPDs, and assist industry with developing EPDs. This session will provide an overview of EPA’s low carbon label program, review other new federal policies related to low carbon procurement, identify the connection between energy consumption and embodied carbon, and help prepare manufacturers for the evolving landscape of low carbon procurement.