Wednesday, August 21, 2024
The American Wood Council (AWC) has made a significant stride in sustainability by releasing the industry’s first regional Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for the U.S. wood products sector. Previously, EPDs in this industry were nationwide, but AWC has responded to market demands for more localized data. These new, third-party verified EPDs highlight the sector’s ongoing commitment to transparency in showcasing the environmental sustainability of U.S. wood products.
Historically, EPDs for the U.S. wood products industry have covered North America as a whole. However, with increasing interest in localized environmental data and advancements in data collection technology, AWC has developed regional EPDs that provide more specific insights. These new EPDs offer robust and current indicators of the environmental footprint for consumers and regulators alike.
The regional EPDs cover three key softwood lumber production areas in the U.S.: Pacific Coast, Inland Northwest, and the South. An additional EPD for the North/Northeast region is anticipated in early 2025. The development of these EPDs was a collaborative effort with the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM) and has been third-party verified by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
“These regional EPDs are a groundbreaking development for our industry and demonstrate our responsiveness to market demands,” said Rachael Jamison, Vice President of Sustainability and Markets at AWC. “They directly address the increasing consumer and regulatory interest in understanding the environmental impacts of U.S. wood products and underscore our industry’s commitment to radical transparency.”
Beyond EPDs, AWC continues to lead several data-driven sustainability initiatives. This includes an upcoming update to engineered wood products EPDs and the expansion of the Life Cycle Survey, now open for the 2024 collection cycle. For the first time, this survey will be accessible to all U.S. mills, not just AWC member companies. The data collected from nearly 1,000 wood product mills across the U.S. forms the basis of the industry’s EPDs.
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Tags: American Wood Council, American woodworking industry, ASTM verification, AWC, CORRIM, environmental product declarations, regional EPDs, softwood lumber, surface design, sustainability, U.S. wood products, wood decor, wood news USA, woodnews, woodworking news, woodworking USA
