US: CeraTech has announced the release of an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for ekkomaxx™ cement concrete. This is the first EPD completed for a non-Portland bulk cement.

The EPD confirms that CeraTech has produced a cement system with a virtually zero-carbon footprint, a 95% reduction in the use of virgin resources and a 50% reduction in the use of water.

The cement system comprises 95% recycled fly ash and 5% liquid additives. Meeting ASTM International C1157 as a hydraulic cement system, it is accepted by industry standards, codes and rating systems, including the American Concrete Institute (ACI), International Code Council (ICC) and the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

"The growing interest in sustainable construction has fuelled industry-wide interest in CeraTech. Our recently completed EPD and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for ekkomaxx independently validates our having established a new industry standard as the greenest, most sustainable concrete available in the world," said Jon Hyman, CeraTech's president and CEO.

Release of the third-party validated EPD followed the guidelines set forth by the Carbon Leadership Forum's North America Product Category Rules (PCR). Independent verification was conducted by the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute under the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association's (NRMCA) Programme Operator Rules.

According to Narayanan Neithalath, senior sustainability scientist and associate professor of the School of Sustainable Engineering and Built Environment at Arizona State University, "This EPD and LCA quantify the environmental benefits of well-designed cement systems that do not use Portland cement as a binder. CeraTech's next-generation, environmentally-responsible cement is eminently suitable for several high-end, special-performance applications and should be well-received by companies and organisations that are committed to sustainable, green construction."