VAASPHALT.ORG 19 What Are Environmental Product Declarations? Joseph Shacat, National Asphalt Pavement Association’s Director of Sustainable Pavements, compares an EPD to the nutrition label on the side of a box of macaroni and cheese. Based on the ingredients, the nutrition label lists the vitamins and minerals in the delicious pasta and “cheese” package, but it also includes information about the approximate amount of calories, carbohydrates, and sugars. An EPD for asphalt, concrete, steel, and flat glass—the four construction materials targeted in President Biden’s Buy Clean initiative—comprises various components to make the materials. Depending on the origin or source of the components, how far it takes to get the “raw” components to the manufacturing facility and how the components are processed into the final material will determine the “environmental nutrition label” or EPD for the material. While an EPD seems simple on the surface, no two asphalt mixes, plants, or companies are the same. Each one has unique characteristics. So, the question often asked is how can two mixes be compared if nothing is exactly the same? Another common question is how does asphalt compare to concrete? We will answer, or attempt to answer, the latter question at the end of this article. What Is Included in an Asphalt EPD? An EPD includes a cover page identifying the manufacturer and the asphalt plant that produced the mix, and a product description providing further information about what comprises the mix. While the importance of being able to identify the mix type may seem obvious, this is an important consideration for comparability. Since asphalt mixes are designed to meet agency-defined specifications, you should only compare them if they meet the same design and performance requirements defined in the specification. continues on page 21 △ Product Description This EPD reports the potential environmental impacts and additional environmental information for an asphalt mixture, which falls under the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code 30111509. Asphalt mixtures are typically incorporated as part of the structure of a roadway, parking lot, driveway, airfield, bike lane, pedestrian path, railroad track bed, or recreation surface. Mix Name: 6007-2022-05WM Specification Entity: VDOT Specification: BM-25.0A Gradiation Type: Dense Mix Design Method: Superpave Nominal Maximum Aggregate Size: 25.0 mm Performance Grade of Asphalt Binder: PG 64-22 Customer [Project/Contract] Number: Not Reported Figure 1. Product Description CAN YOU SPELL EPD?
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Nzc3ODM=