The Inflation Reduction Act Helps Fund EPDs

The Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Construction Materials and Products grant program was created by the Inflation Reduction Act and has authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide up to 40 grants and/or cooperative agreements in 2024 to make it easier for institutional buyers to use low carbon materials in their construction projects. Funding is intended to help businesses develop robust environmental product declarations (EPDs).

Grants are eligible to businesses that manufacture, remanufacture, and refurbish construction materials and products for developing and verifying EPDs, and to states, tribes, and nonprofit organizations that will support such businesses are to be funded in the amounts of $250,000 (USD) to $10,000,000 (USD). The application deadline for the grant is Jan. 16, 2024.

Manufacturers with projects meeting the minimum funding of $250,000 (USD) can apply directly to the EPA for this grant by the deadline. Many manufacturers may be seeking financial assistance on projects that qualify but do not meet the minimum funding criteria. To address this, the EPA will be providing grants to pass-through entities, who, in turn, can provide funding to subrecipients for smaller valued projects.

For example, an eligible trade association could be awarded a grant that could be distributed to its members (the subrecipients).

If you are an eligible construction product manufacturer that needs to produce EPDs or develop product category rules (PCRs), we encourage you to apply directly for the grant by the deadline or work with a potential pass-through entity.

Eligible manufacturers may use grant funding for the creation of EPDs and PCRs with UL Solutions. UL Solutions is a leading ISO 14025 program operator for independent, third-party verification of EPDs. Our verified EPDs are recognized and respected by buyers, building specifiers and purchasing organizations, allowing them to quickly review a product’s environmental impacts and utilize them in projects.

Source

EPA