ABSTRACT
Scandinavian and the US construction industry have made noticeable progress with implementation of the environmental product declarations (EPDs) as a certificate of the environmental performance of asphalt concrete (AC). The information in an EPD can be used as a reliable measure of environmental performance and can be accepted for use in reporting, marketing, procurement and product development. However, the existing standards for the development of EPDs needs improvement. Moreover, preparation of the EPDs in different countries are performed in using various tools and methods. This may lead to incomparability of EPDs developed by manufactures. A global EPD-calculation framework would make it possible to overcome these barriers and improve communication between contractors and clients in the US and Europe. This paper compares current EPDs practices in the US asphalt industry to those of Europe, specifically the Norwegian and Swedish asphalt industry. The study has evaluated two digital EPD tools, from Norway and the US, and one LCA tool from Sweden that may be used as a Swedish EPD tool for AC. This paper presents tools used by the aforementioned countries and identifies the strengths and limitations of each system. It also highlights the difficulty in developing a universal system for analysis. This study is a first step towards a global standard relevant to the US and Europe.
