The Road Forward, an initiative of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) to achieve net zero carbon emission asphalt pavements by 2050, has attracted a new funding partner in Summit Materials, which has established detailed targets for emissions reduction by 2030 and a commitment to net zero by 2050.
Summit Materials is a vertically integrated construction materials producer of asphalt, aggregates and cement products and provider of paving and construction services. Headquartered in Denver, Colo., Summit joined NAPA in 2010. Summit partners with local communities to solve infrastructure needs, guided by three pillars of social responsibility, including social impact, land reclamation and carbon reduction. Now, Summit is partnering with NAPA on The Road Forward to deliver on a shared mission to reach net zero through efficient practices that benefit communities, companies, and the environment.
Summit Materials' leadership have a long-standing commitment to the industry and to NAPA, including service on NAPA's Environmental Committee by Senior Vice President, Safety Performance, Brad Okoniewski and Vice President Todd Swenson.
"Summit is grateful for NAPA's partnership in helping us progress towards our 2030 and 2050 targets for carbon emissions reductions, including a strategy for achieving net zero emissions by 2050," said Karli Anderson, Summit EVP of Environmental, Safety, Governance and Head of Investor Relations.
"For example, NAPA has provided important insights, tools, and support as Summit seeks to be the leading company to obtain published Environmental Production Declarations [EPDs] for our asphalt plants. In recent months we've obtained EPDs for our Mount Pleasant Asphalt [Texas], Paris Asphalt Plant [Texas], Greenville Asphalt [Texas], Silverthorne Asphalt [Colorado], Roland Asphalt [Colorado], and Texarkana [Arkansas]. We plan to have the rest of our permanent facilities in Texas completed by the end of the year, with plans to expand across our footprint in 2023 and beyond."
In the year ended Jan. 1, 2022, Summit Materials sold 64.2 million tons of aggregates, 2.4 million tons of cement, 5.8 million cu. yds. of ready-mix concrete and 5.1 million tons of asphalt paving mix across more than 400 sites and plants. In 2021, 13 percent of its asphalt tons were recycled.
In supporting The Road Forward, Summit Materials is providing industry leadership, in alignment with its own corporate commitments, on climate action. Its support will help fund ongoing research and education to aid the entire U.S. asphalt industry in producing net zero carbon emission asphalt production and construction by 2050.
"We are thankful to Summit Materials for embracing a shared commitment to environmental reporting through NAPA's Emerald Eco-Label EPD software and to industry innovation through The Road Forward," said NAPA President and CEO Audrey Copeland. "Their support not only propels our collective vision for sustainable communities and commerce connected by net zero carbon asphalt pavements, but also demonstrates the positive impact that asphalt pavement producers can have in their own communities."
For more information, visit AsphaltPavement.org/Forward.
