UL Publishes New Product Category Rule for Steel Construction Products

Today, UL announced the publication of a new Product Category Rule (PCR) for steel construction products. Developed through the collaborative efforts of 14 industry groups, manufacturers and other stakeholders, this PCR will be used to benchmark the environmental impacts of steel construction products over their entire life cycle, as well as assess embedded carbon.

The announcement comes as the Buy Clean California Act continues to advance the stipulations of their purchase requirements. This legislation, pioneered by the California General Services Administration, began requiring Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for certain material types in 2019 and, in January 2021, will impose limits on global warming potential for four types of materials, including structural steel.

“I’m appreciative of the long and productive discussions by the working group and UL that resulted in this update of the Steel Construction Products PCR. The PCR will allow steel products to continue to demonstrate their transparency through the development of new and updated environmental product declarations,” said Mark A. Thimons, vice president, sustainability for American Iron and Steel Institute.

New legislation like the Buy Clean California Act as well as green building programs like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) encourage manufacturers of structural steel to invest in EPDs, using this new PCR to generate internationally accepted, published reports that disclose how products impact the environment throughout their life cycle.

“As more and more purchasing organizations and green building rating systems demand EPDs, this new PCR opens the door for the steel industry to demonstrate the sustainability performance of their products. We are pleased to see the steel industry pursue this kind of transparency in support of buildings with lower carbon emissions,” said Alberto Uggetti, vice president and general manager of UL’s Environment and Sustainability division.

The new PCR, UL 10010-34, Part B for Steel Construction Product EPD Requirements, will help manufacturers provide valuable environmental performance insights to purchasers. The standard can be found at UL.com/standards. To learn more about PCRs or how to pursue an environmental product declaration, visit www.UL.com.