All Sustainability Articles

Sustainability Program for Architectural Coatings (NSF/ANSI 498)

Sustainability

In conjunction with NSF International, a third-party standards organization, to develop a Sustainability Program for Architectural Coatings (NSF/ANSI 498). This product-focused program is intended to provide industry with a consistent framework that uses broadly accepted and quantifiable metrics to showcase sustainability attributes across a wide-range of categories. As consumers of architectural coatings (i.e., architects, builders, engineers) increasingly demand transparency in their suppliers for environmentally-friendly products, this program allows manufacturers of architectural coatings to promote their products in such a way.

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Sustainability Committee Update

Sustainability

ACA’s Sustainability Committee aims to build a comprehensive industry approach to sustainability both domestically and globally, focusing on issues that deliver the most value to the industry. ACA’s Sustainability Committee seeks to highlight and improve the industry’s sustainable contributions by developing the Sustainability Program, Product Category Rules (PCR), the Sustainability Report, and other guidance documents. ACA is continuing its work on finalizing the Sustainability Program for Architectural Coatings (NSF/ANSI 498) which is a third-party certified multi-attribute sustainability product standard that provides industry with consistent and broadly accepted sustainability metrics. ACA developed PCRs for architectural coatings, resinous floor coatings, and powder coatings; ACA has nearly completed the coil coating PCR and anticipating its release later this year. ACA started work on updating the PCR for Architectural Coatings. ACA actively monitors the state of green building codes, including the highly anticipated release of the U.S. Green Building Councils’ LEEDv5 program. ACA is finalizing the 2024 Sustainability Report, which will be released in June.

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U.S. Criteria for Product Category Rules (PCRs) to Support the Label Program for Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials

Sustainability

EPA has been working to identify construction materials and products with substantially lower levels of embodied carbon through the creation of its Label Program for Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials. EPA is proposing to standardize and improve the quality of data used in Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which disclose key environmental impacts of a product’s lifecycle. EPA drafted recommended criteria for the development Product Category Rules (PCRs) to support the Label Program. ACA has developed several PCRs for the coatings industry and submitted comments on the PCR Criteria, as it may impact how PCRs are developed by our organization. ACA will continue to monitor the development of this program.

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Solar Reflectivity Issue

Sustainability

The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) has completed the development of a Wall Product Rating Standard that rates exterior wall products based on the surface radiative properties. The CRRC is updating their ANSI/CRRC S100 “Standard Test Methods for Determining Radiative Properties of Materials” standard that serves as the basis of their methods for rating the surface radiative properties of roof coatings to include the methodologies needed to test exterior wall coatings. The solar reflective roof and wall product requirements in the CRRC’s programs, as well as, future green building codes and standards, may impact the pigments used in these coatings. Given the focus on climate change and limiting the urban heat island effect, the CRRC is considering creating a Pavement Coatings Program. In 2023, ACA’s Katherine Berry was elected to the CRRC’s Board of Directors.

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