December 2009

Unprecedented Move toward Unity

by Florian G. Barth

The many, varied technical and professional associations that represent the concrete industry have recently undergone an unprecedented shift in working together. It began in April 2009 when initially ACI, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), and the Portland Cement Association (PCA) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), declaring their joint commitment to creating a united front for sustainability within the concrete industry.

Aris Papadopoulos, PCA's Vice Chair, was the champion behind the MOU of this Joint Sustainability Initiative (JSI). In the initial discussions, ACI, NRMCA, and PCA reasoned that the industry can no longer rely on limited component thinking of materials or products when it comes to sustainability, but rather it must jointly address all aspects, benefits, and limitations of what we deliver to the public: the final concrete structure. And for the industry to fully implement the benefits of sustainable construction of our material products and construction services, we must work as a unit.

Within less than 4 months of creating the JSI, 16 other organizations had joined in this effort. Currently, there are 20 signatories of the original MOU and the JSI charter that developed from it. Titled "Joint Declaration of Industry Vision for a Sustainable Future," the charter is based on nine declarations (available at www.concreteJSI.com), which provide the guiding principles of the cooperative effort and target the most effective methods of researching, promulgating, and implementing sustainability guidelines with respect to concrete structures. At its core is the recognition that concrete structures—both horizontal and vertical—are the foundation of the concrete industry.

We reemphasize to the public that it is the finished structure that imparts social values. The JSI charter outlines several areas wherein concrete structures provide societal benefits, including aesthetics, safety, resource efficiency, longevity/durability, and financial responsibility.

The goal of JSI at present will be to continue the work begun by ACI, PCA, and NRMCA—comprising the steering committee of JSI—by moving away from component thinking about sustainability in the concrete industry and toward a holistic view. While various trade and technical organizations have agreed to address the sustainability of “concrete structures,” work still continues on the sustainability of each component part, but with a united purpose and therefore a stronger force.

Since its inception, JSI already has a number of impressive accomplishments to its credit. Its Web site connects those in the concrete industry to the latest information about sustainability, including regulatory changes, so that our industry can be immediately responsive to new policies. In response to a need identified by JSI, Creative Association Management, ACI’s for-profit subsidiary, is in the process of developing two books: The Sustainable Concrete Guide: Strategies and Examples and The Sustainable Concrete Guide: Applications. These resources will provide the concrete industry with reliable, objective information about sustainability.

Meeting quarterly, JSI members bring to the table unique ideas and a commitment to action. PCA and the RMC Research & Education Foundation are co-funding a Concrete Sustainability Hub at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Hub will focus on quantifying and further enhancing the sustainable nature of concrete. We look forward to other JSI members joining in this effort to provide resources and financial support to this unique collaboration.

On an international level, JSI has connected with its sustainability counterparts in Asia and Europe in a further effort to expand unification among all concrete industry players. JSI members are working to change concrete-related practices around the globe. When the Cement Sector Initiative of the World Business Council on Sustainable Development met in Brazil recently, Brian McCarthy of PCA spoke about developing international communication and the sharing of best practices to reduce the emissions associated with cement manufacturing.

When we in the concrete industry truly see our own best interest, we see that we must work with one another—particularly to achieve the goal of sustainability. By uniting every part of the concrete industry in a way never done before, JSI advances this goal.

Florian G. Barth
American Concrete Institute
fb@florian.com

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