COLAS CANADA - The Standard General Edmonton Asphalt plant, located in Acheson, Alta., is the first asphalt plant in Western Canada to offer EPDs. Standard General Edmonton is a division of Colas Western Canada Inc., a major civil construction contractor that has been serving the Greater Edmonton Region since 1969.
Four of Miller’s plants began publishing them in May. They include Bloomington in Richmond Hill, Mosport in Kawartha Lakes, Tapscott in Toronto and the Whitby plant. In July, Standard General’s plant in Acheson, Alta. also started publishing them. EPDs are like the nutrition facts found on food labels, which give a full, impartial, third-party verified report on the environmental, cradle-to-grave impact on the specific product produced at a particular plant, says Croteau.
There are a number of ways owners can access the EPD information, including going on the NAPA website or contacting the companies directly. By simply clicking on the EPD tab, viewers can review the elements or components that went into creating the asphalt mix, he says. “We paid for the software to be adapted to Canada,” says Croteau on the negotiations with NAPA, which led to the agreement.
The Ontario Road Builders’ Association/Ontario Asphalt Pavement Council has been in long-term discussions with the National Research Council Canada on a joint program designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions, enhance competitiveness through environmental performance transparency and provide harmonized, quality Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Inventory data, says ORBA/OAPC technical director Doubra Ambaiowei.