MPA publishes sector-first UK EPDs for asphalt

Publication of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for four generic asphalt product types used on UK highways

THE first verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for four generic asphalt product types used on UK highways have been published by MPA Asphalt today (19 August 2024).

The new ‘reference’ EPDs for asphalt road materials enable effective and reliable comparisons to be made on each product’s whole-life environmental performance using consistent methodologies – providing much-needed clarity on sustainability indicators such as a product’s carbon footprint.

Brian Kent, Chairman of MPA Asphalt, which represents UK asphalt producers, said: ‘Our industry is making significant strides as we collectively work towards net-zero carbon. However, a key challenge for producers, their customers and end clients has been how to accurately and dependably measure our impacts and, importantly, progress.

‘MPA members are increasingly asked for published and verified EPDs relating to the supply of asphalts. But, while we have been able to generate carbon calculations and verified EPDs, the burden of doing so for numerous individual product types from specific plants on a site-specific basis incurs significant additional expenditure. The introduction and adoption of these industry EPDs will mean costs won’t be passed on, benefiting all stakeholders.

‘The MPA reference EPDs can immediately be used across the asphalt sector with confidence, including for benchmarking and project scoping and especially for evaluating the ‘cradle-to-gate’ life-cycle stages.’

The new EPDs are derived from MPA member and generic industry data, calculated using the current (2024) OneClick Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool. They are representative of the bulk of producers and production volumes in the UK. They have been developed to enable comparisons and recognition for delivering reductions and improvements.

The full EPDs, including product composition assumptions, and the full range of environmental impact categories across further life-cycle stages are available to download by clicking here.

Director of MPA Asphalt, Malcolm Simms, added: ‘The outputs from these EPDs will hopefully prove to be invaluable for highways projects, but this is only the start. MPA Asphalt members will soon have shared access to the online tool so that they can calculate their own EPDs to directly compare against these verified reference figures. With more user data we will also be able to further refine our calculation assumptions and embedded datasets to be even more representative. Plus, members can consistently assess and compare their own progress at site or project level using their primary data.

‘Looking ahead, it also means we are well placed to adapt to expected changes to the EPD landscape, including the revision of the Construction Products Regulations. We’ll continue to work to ensure that these EPD’s offer a transparent, verified and comprehensive breakdown of our sector’s products’ total environmental footprint.’

One anticipated stage in the evolution of the MPA Asphalt EPDs will come later this year with further refinements to bitumen LCI data as part of Eurobitume’s regular review. Siobhan McKelvey, director general of Eurobitume, said: ‘The MPA’s reference EPD approach is an important step towards a consistent approach. But, of course, we recognize that bitumen has, along with energy for asphalt production, the largest environmental impact on the calculated embodied (cradle to gate) carbon. So, our forthcoming LCI report will also support our asphalt customers in better evaluating their environmental footprint to the required level of accuracy, and evidence the collective decarbonization efforts across our sector.’

Brian Kent concluded: ‘We have already shared this important initiative with major clients and representative bodies, including National Highways, TfL, ADEPT and LCRIG, as well as various Tier 1 organizations, who have all recognized and expressed their support. We now encourage all MPA Asphalt members and their clients to get on board as well and adopt these reference EPDs at the earliest opportunity.’

Commenting on MPA Asphalt’s publication of verified EPDs, David Giles, Chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), said: ‘The publication of the first independently verified asphalt EPDs by MPA Asphalt, one of our partner organizations, is an important milestone for the industry.

‘Asphalt is already one of the most of sustainable construction materials on the market and the new EPDs provide a consistent method of quantifying a range of sustainability indicators, in particular the product’s carbon footprint.

‘Local authorities and contractors will be able to use them for evaluating the environmental impacts of asphalt as we all work towards meeting net-zero carbon objectives.’