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Markets
Transportation
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Location
London
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Client
National Highways & Mineral Products Association
Tony Parry
Associate Director, contact form+441372752804
National Highways and the Mineral Products Association (MPA) appointed the AtkinsRéalis-Jacobs Joint Venture (AJJV) to update the asphalt Pavement Embodied Carbon Tool (asPECT), User Manual and Protocol documents, to establish an industry standard method for calculating the environmental impacts of asphalt products.
Originally developed in 2009 in compliance with PAS 2050, the updated free tool, user manual and protocol have been re-launched. They now enable the calculation of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of asphalt construction products, and are now compatible with the latest standards, including BS EN 15804:2012+A2:2019+AC 2021.
National Highways is dedicated to meeting its 2040 net zero target to reduce supply chain carbon emissions and suppliers are required to report on the carbon associated with activities undertaken on their behalf.
As such, a technical community of experts - identified by National Highways and MPA - was created in 2024 to help inform the asPECT V5.0 update and check the practicality of the recommended changes and the quality of assumptions concerning default data and scenarios.
This new tool includes various life cycle stages and numerous scenarios to simplify and more accurately calculate the carbon footprint and environmental impact of one tonne of asphalt, to meet the requirements for both a specific mixture or to generate an annual average.
The stages include:
- Product – raw material supply, transport and manufacturing of asphalt
- Construction – transport, construction & installation
- End of life – demolition, transport and waste processing
- Benefits – reuse and recycling
It is anticipated that the asPECT V5.0 tool will be widely used across the industry by:
- Asphalt manufacturers - to calculate LCA results for asphalt mixture groups and specific mixtures, in exploring the environmental impacts of asphalt products, reporting and product development;
- Contractors - to assess and report the environmental impacts of asphalt in construction works;
- Clients - to assess Scope 3 carbon emissions and the wider impacts of asphalt procurement;
- Designers - to optimise the design of asphalt pavements in terms of environmental impacts.
In addition, the Protocol includes further guidance intended to provide extra interpretation and justification for the methods used.
How to access the tool
The asPECT V5.0 tool and accompanying documents enabling the calculation of LCA results for asphalt mixtures are freely available by contacting the email address in 'Contact Us' at the top right of this webpage. Please provide:
- Your name
- Your company
- Your email address
These details are required so that a register of users can be maintained to inform of potential future updates.
The latest version is asPECT V5.0 v2.1 which replaces the beta test versions previously circulated.
An online webinar is available to provide further guidance on the use of the asPECT tool and is available.
Caveat
In order to be compatible with EN 15804, the asPECT V5.0 Protocol is written so that it meets the requirements for LCA in the core Product Category Rules (PCR) and for this reason it is in the form of a complementary PCR (cPCR) and provides specific rules for LCA of asphalt mixtures.
It is not intended to fully meet the requirements to generate Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), only to meet the requirements for LCA that could feed into EPD. It is not linked to an EPD scheme or generator.
The asPECT V5.0 tool, User Manual and Protocol have been prepared for National Highways and Mineral Products Association in accordance with the terms and conditions of appointment stated in the SPaTS 2 Agreement. AtkinsRéalis Jacobs Joint Venture cannot accept any responsibility for any use of or reliance on the contents of these documents by any third party or for any modifications or enhancements carried out by others.
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