ABSTRACT
As the science of life cycle assessment (LCA) has advanced so has the public’s understanding of its usefulness in supporting decision-making. This has led to pressure on regulatory bodies in considering the use of LCA and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to inform public procurement. Legislatively, the Buy Clean California Act, 2017, (Assembly Bill 262), is requiring successful bids on public construction projects to produce EPDs for a list of eligible materials, at the point of installation. Similar bills have been introduced in Washington and Minnesota. In this context, it is imperative for state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to proactively identify the best strategies for integrating EPDs into the procurement process. This paper discusses the outcomes of a feasibility study that was conducted for Minnesota DOT to identify the challenges and barriers faced by DOT and industry stakeholders in adopting the use of EPD in the procurement process. The study included two workshops for MnDOT and industry stakeholders to educate them on the current state of LCAs and EPDs and to identify the barriers and challenges based on available resources and capabilities. A roadmap was developed for MnDOT that lays out a recommendation of activities that could be adopted to successfully implement the adoption of EPDs in public procurement. The workforce development components of this work will also support the pavement construction industry create the capacity to adapt to new practices from an informed position, rather than being passively responsive to external mandates.
