LEESBURG, VA – The American Wood Council (AWC) launched its expanded Life Cycle Survey to collect life cycle impact data from wood product mills across the United States. The Survey, first launched in 2022, has previously only been open to AWC member companies. However, with support from a 2023 Wood Innovations Grant (WIG), the Survey is now open to all U.S. wood product mills.
The Survey is the central collection point for the U.S. wood product industry’s life cycle impacts data, and its expansion will lead to more representative and stronger datasets, adding even more strength to the sustainability claims of U.S. wood products. As a low-carbon building material, wood is a right now solution in helping to lower the environmental impact of the built environment.
“U.S. wood products have a powerful sustainability, carbon and rural development story made even stronger by the data AWC is collecting through our survey. Wood products are the lowest in embodied carbon of the major structural building materials and as we continue to work to reduce carbon emissions, data driven solutions are more and more imperative. The data we have collected shows that specifying wood products are a climate solution to lower the carbon impacts of a building,” said Rachael Jamison, Vice President of Markets & Sustainability at AWC.
The Survey collects production and process data from mills helping to trace the life cycle of wood products. The data collected includes values related to primary products, byproducts, fiber sourcing information, energy use, waste generation and more. This data is then brought together and analyzed to demonstrate the low environmental impact and sustainability of U.S. wood products. The data is used to generate industry life cycle assessments (LCAs) that then becomes the basis of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
“The survey is a vital tool that demonstrates our industry’s commitment to data transparency. The more mills that participate, the more representative the data will be,” said David Brabham, Co-Chair of AWC’s Sustainability Committee. Tyler Congleton, fellow Sustainability Co-Chair, added, “The survey data, resulting LCAs, and published EPDs work together to tell our industry’s remarkable sustainability and low embodied carbon story.”
The Life Cycle Survey is now open to all eligible U.S. wood product mills and manufacturers. To participate contact Adam Robertson at adam@sustainatree.ca.
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