The RMC Research & Education Foundation has released a new tool for the concrete industry: Sustainable Concrete Plant Guidelines. The guidelines were developed by West Main Consultants and William C. Twitty Jr., with guidance from Lionel Lemay, senior vice president — sustainable construction, with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association.

The concept behind the development of the guidelines was to further the efforts under way within the concrete industry in the sustainable development field and assist producers by providing additional resources on how to make their own plants and operations more sustainable. The guidelines will be an evolving document and RMC seeks comments from industry representatives on this released version and the supporting materials.

“Concrete, by its very nature, is a very sustainable material. These guidelines are a great tool for producers to identify ways to enhance their manufacturing processes to make concrete even more sustainable,” said James Repman, foundation chairman.

“These guidelines complement the other environmental and sustainability initiatives already established within the industry and allow producers to augment those efforts.”

Foundation Executive Director Julie Garbini agreed, adding “This document gives producers performance-based metrics by which to measure and demonstrate the sustainability of their operations. It provides specific guidance on how to assess energy and resource consumption for continuous improvement. We are proud to add this new deliverable to the many other sustainable development-related research studies, reports and tools available from the Foundation.”

For more information, visit www.rmc-foundation.org.