{"id":11423,"date":"2024-02-20T13:52:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T18:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/?p=11423"},"modified":"2024-02-21T21:35:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T02:35:05","slug":"composites-sustainability-acma-insider-february-22-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acmanet.org\/composites-sustainability-acma-insider-february-22-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Composites Sustainability – ACMA Insider – February 22, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
A newly available Product Category Rule will guide the development and presentation of information on environmental impacts associated with the manufacture and use of utility poles. Environmental Product Declarations prepared following the PCR will allow electric utilities to compare the environmental impacts of composite, wood, steel and concrete poles when evaluating options for the purchase of new poles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Product Category Rule for utility poles<\/a> was published on February 7, 2024, by PCR program operator Sustainable Minds. Development of the utility pole PCR was sponsored by ACMA and supported by a grant from ACMA\u2019s CGI Fund. A PCR is also called a \u201cPart B: Product group definition\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Several ACMA member companies manufacturing composite utility poles participated in the consensus panel that developed the PCR, along with representatives of manufacturers of wood, concrete and steel poles. The consensus panel (committee) began work on the PCR in June 2023 and met weekly. With the guidance of Sustainable Minds, the committee worked through challenging issues including development of an approach for describing the unit that will serve as the basis for presenting information on environmental impacts, characterizing the expected service life for electrical distribution lines, and specifying how pole manufacturers will provide reference service life for their products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With the new PCR, utility pole manufacturers can prepare Environmental Product Declarations for their poles. An EPD is a statement of environmental impacts associated with the manufacture and use of a product in a standardized format that allows evaluation of the impact information by infrastructure owners and designers, such as electric utilities. Federal policy will require infrastructure owners using federal funds, possibly including utilities using FEMA funds for reconstruction of distribution lines after a storm, to use EPDs to evaluate the environmental impacts of product and material options being considered for a project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The utility pole PCR features several advanced characteristics not commonly found in PCRs developed to date. It is a multi-material PCR, developed by a committee that included representatives from the industries using different materials to produce poles. It allows manufacturers to develop EPDs for their products that convey information about use-phase environmental impacts and benefits instead of just the cradle-to-gate impacts. And it was developed in compliance with the new ACLCA guidelines for PCRs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Contact John Schweitzer<\/a> for more information. <\/p>\n\n\n\nEPA Seeks Input on Climate Labeling Program for Construction Materials<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n