Labeling of Construction Materials & Products

• About C-MORE
• Grant Program
• Technical Assistance
• Improving Data Quality
• Setting Thresholds
• Labeling Materials & Products

EPA is developing a label program to help ensure construction product manufacturers that invest in EPDs and lower their embodied emissions can credibly demonstrate these achievements to their customers. This program is also designed to support construction product manufacturers in lowering operating costs, achieving efficiencies and accessing new markets.

A growing number of municipalities, state governments and large corporations have implemented or plan to implement “buy clean” policies to encourage the reporting of embodied carbon and the purchase of lower carbon construction products. EPA helping ensure that manufacturers have a consistent method of reporting on their embodied carbon emissions across the U.S., instead of facing a confusing and costly patchwork of requirements in different markets and regions of the country.

Label Program Approach

On Aug. 7, 2024, EPA issued its Implementation Approach for the U.S. EPA Label Program for Identifying Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials (pdf). Construction product manufacturers that have invested in reporting and reducing their embodied carbon emissions will have their products listed in a central, publicly accessible registry, making it easier for their customers to identify and purchase these products.

EPA will implement the program using a phased approach:

Phase I: Improving Data Quality. Standardizing and improving the quality of data underlying and provided by EPDs.

Phase II: Threshold Setting. Establishing standardized methodologies and definitions for low embodied carbon, based on robust EPDs and other credible, relevant data.

Phase III: Labeling Materials and Products. Labeling materials and products that meet EPA’s criteria.

The label program will offer a tiered rating system for construction materials and products. Thresholds will be informed by input from industry and other stakeholders before being finalized. To earn the label, manufacturers will submit an EPD for their products to demonstrate that they meet the eligibility criteria. The label program will determine which level of recognition products should receive based on information provided in the EPD. EPA’s label program will use a conformity assessment and verification approach for EPDs aligned with the existing EPD verification system, and consistent with standards and best practices within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 17000 series, and those required by EPA’s Framework for Assessing Environmental Performance for Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.

EPA published the Draft Label Program Approach in the Federal Register, receiving valuable input from industry and other stakeholders on this proposed approach through a 30-day public comment period. This draft program approach was also informed by industry and other stakeholder input received in response to a 2023 Request for Information, and input from other federal agencies, including the Federal Highway Administration in the Department of Transportation and General Services Administration.

Draft Product Eligibility Criteria Template

The Draft Product Eligibility Criteria Template for the U.S. EPA Label Program for Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials (pdf) (355.62 KB) describes label program requirements for all products, regardless of material category.

Tips for Manufacturers Seeking to Participate in EPA's Label Program

1. Develop EPDs for the products that your company manufactures. Environmental product declarations will be used to evaluate products for inclusion in the label program. EPA and its grantees are providing no-cost technical assistance to help manufacturers develop EPDs. Learn more about technical assistance tools and resources for developing EPDs.
2. Reduce the embodied carbon in the products your company manufactures. Through producing an EPD, manufacturers will be able to identify opportunities to reduce embodied carbon. Manufacturers who don’t yet have an EPD developed can identify embodied carbon reduction options by reviewing the life cycle assessment used in the product category rule for their product.

Some common ways to reduce the embodied carbon of construction products, while maintaining performance standards, include:

• Manage energy and invest in energy-efficient upgrades. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Industrial Program offers manufacturers technical support to help them reduce the embodied carbon of their materials and products.
  • Join ENERGY STAR’s Industrial Assistance Network to receive training, tools, and individual coaching. Email [email protected] to learn more.
  • Reduce your energy intensity and participate in the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry to receive EPA recognition.
  • Use the ENERGY STAR Energy Performance Indicators (for available sectors) to understand the energy efficiency of your plants. Plants that earn 75 out of 100 or higher are eligible for ENERGY STAR plant certification.
  • Use ENERGY STAR resources to find ways to reduce energy and carbon by conducting an Energy Treasure Hunt.
• Power your facilities, when possible, with electricity from renewable sources. Consult EPA’s Green Power Partnership to learn how to reduce emissions associated with conventional electricity use while supporting the domestic development of clean energy resources.
• Improve the efficiency of your freight transportation. Participate in EPA’s SmartWay program to better benchmark, report and reduce Scope 1 and Scope 3 freight emissions.
• Shift to lower-impact input materials or material mixes, including shifting towards circular manufacturing processes such as incorporating what would have been waste materials into new products.
• Invest in lower carbon fuels.

Visit EPA’s tools, resources and funding webpage for more help on certification under EPA's label program.

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