Pathways

Exciting update: Pathways has been selected for the Google for Startups AI Academy: American Infrastructure program. This is a real honour, selected as only one of 15 companies using AI to help improve public systems and services at scale — from advancing health equity to us reducing manufacturing's environmental footprint. Follow along as we share more of our progress with you! 🙌

I often say EPDs are like nutrition labels for products. So I’m happy to see the US Environmental Protection Agency have just announced a groundbreaking label programme for low embodied carbon construction materials. Here’s why it’s big news for manufacturers. 1️⃣ The scheme is backed by a $100 million investment from the Inflation Reduction Act so there’s a lot of money here. 2️⃣ It prioritises steel, glass, asphalt, and concrete - materials that represent the majority of federally funded construction purchases. 3️⃣ The programme will use a phased approach, focusing first on improving data quality in Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). 4️⃣ It introduces a tiered rating system, encouraging continuous improvement and innovation in reducing embodied carbon. Even more of an argument for automated data ingestion. The programme aligns with international standards, potentially paving the way for global harmonisation. 👀 What does this mean for you? Manufacturers should prepare to develop and revise high-quality EPDs. We should anticipate more rigorous verification processes. Remember: an LCA is only as good as its data quality and transparency Product Category Rules for these materials are being revised - make sure you get a system that makes it easy to change data requirements P.S If you’re a manufacturer feeling anxious about these new regulations I’d love to jump on a call with you to show small steps you can take today to align with these new rules.

🙌 we're growing at Pathways - do you know our next LCA expert? You need to - Want to revolutionize sustainability in manufacturing - Have experience in #EPDs, #PCRs and #LCAs - Excited to work in a fast-paced environment You'll get to work with our phenomenal product team: Alex Cooper, Dorian Krausz, PE, LEED AP, Ethan M., Will Meier. Tagging my favourite experts in the space, do you know our next team member? Anna Lasso, Stacy Smedley, Annie Bevan, Fabian Diaz, Auri Mas, PhD, Terry Swack, Joris Šimaitis, Jack Rusk. Apply in comments 👇

If you 're at National Renewable Energy Laboratory annual Cement and Concrete Decarbonization event next week, make sure to catch our Carbon Lead Dorian Krausz, PE, LEED AP and Mikaela DeRousseau, Hailey Goodale, EIT and Ana Aday discussing all things EPDs and PCRs 🚀

A big privilege for Pathways to be invited to the First #WhiteHouse Summit for Concrete Innovation. Alex Cooper, our co-founder, represented us in a discussion on sustainability, innovation and EPDs. The focus on sustainability is absolutely critical with US government (Federal, State and Local) responsible for more than 50% of all cement purchasing. This means, when the government moves, the market moves. Thank you for Vivin Hegde, Zacua Ventures, Andres Clarens and Suyog P. for the invitation. It was great to see friends from across the ecosystem: Chris Ward, Leah Ellis, Titan Cement Company SA and many more.

Last year Denver made some parts of their Green Code #mandatory. Here’s what it means if you’re a manufacturer.  1️⃣ Specific Limits For Materials The DGC sets Global Warming Potential (GWP) limits for two of the most common and carbon-intensive materials in construction: steel and concrete. 2️⃣ Compliance with GWP Limits through #EPDs You need an EPD. This legislation relies on a lifecycle approach to sustainability. Anyone who has followed the work I do at Pathways knows this is the best and most accurate framework for thinking about emissions and sustainability, especially if you’re a manufacturer. 3️⃣ Adopt Early And Win It’s easy to see the way the wind is blowing if we look at the legislation. California and New Jersey have their own Buy Clean Acts. Portland has the Low-Carbon Concrete Initiative. Most states start out offering frameworks with incentives and then move towards making them mandatory. If you’re a manufacturer it makes much more sense to get your house in order now rather than wait for state and federal laws to catch up. 4️⃣ Improve sales Adhering to new green policies as a manufacturer early on drives sales. It gives an advantage when bidding for projects and empowering your sales team to speak about the environmental footprint of your materials. And if you’re a manufacturer struggling with how to comply with any state or federal regulation please reach out to me, I’m always happy to help where I can. I also got a special soft-spot for Denver with our Carbon Lead Dorian based in Denver 🍀 #LCAs #EPDs #CircularEconomy #GreenDenver #DenverGreenCode

The EPA has just awarded $160 million in grants for reducing embodied greenhouse gases in construction materials and products. Here’s why this is good news if you’re a manufacturer.  This funding will accelerate the development of Environmental Product Declarations (#EPDs) and Life Cycle Assessments (#LCAs) across 14 material categories. More importantly the EPA will initially offer EPD development support and direct businesses to resources to help them measure and reduce the embodied carbon. Manufacturers face significant challenges in measuring and reporting environmental impacts when trying to run a business. So this grant program makes it easier than ever by providing resources for robust, high-quality EPDs. The best news, EPA has awarded an extra $60 million than expected to support building material manufacturers in decarbonizing as part of the Buy Clean Initiative. The selected projects will help standardize and expand the market for low-carbon construction products, making it easier for buyers to make sustainable purchasing decisions. From concrete and steel to innovative materials like bamboo and hemp, these efforts will drive innovation across the industry. We're honoured to be working with so many of this list and excited to see how these projects will transform the construction materials landscape. Congrats to friends of Pathways who were awarded funding: Debbie Steckel from ACLCA, Kate Chilton and Tobe Sheldon at BamCore Tyler Hengen, P.E. from AISI, Max Puchtel, SE, PE from AISC, Rachael Jamison from AWC, Lionel Lemay from NRMCA, International Living Future Institute, and many more. Now the real work begins!

💾 Get sustainability results even if your data is not organized? Most manufacturers I speak with are worried, because "my data is not perfectly organized" or "we don't want to put more pressure on our IT team". I am lucky, because I get to say: don't worry about it. We are able to work with all levels of data maturity: from a structured sustainability data layer in something like Microsoft Power BI or Envizi to PDF or email-based utility invoices. My team is driving easy onboarding: Alex Cooper, Dorian Krausz, and Ethan M.. If you missed it, have a listen to a discussed about the use of machine learning, AI and new tech approaches in real estate and manufacturing with Rasmus Juul-Nyholm and Antony Slumbers.

📣 PORTFOLIO SHOWCASE: THE FUTURE OF LOW-CARBON CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY Have you registered yet for our upcoming event? 🎙️ This showcase will introduce you to a selection of companies within our portfolio: Alrik, Pathways, Tangible, and Trunk, all of which are directly addressing the sustainability challenges in construction. 🌇 With the real estate sector contributing 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, change is vital. At Pi Labs, our vision is to transform the built environment through our portfolio of globally scalable solutions, creating a digital and sustainable future for generations to come. Click to register: 👇

Here’s what happens if you fudge the data on your EPD. I always encourage manufacturers to get an Environment Product Declaration (EPD) based on a rigorous Life Cycle Assessment. It’s good for the planet. And governments are moving towards making them compulsory. However, for small businesses gathering the data for an EPD has previously come with several issues. Either:  You hire a consultant to draft your EPD (not cheap!) Or Your team spends hours gathering all the data from various formats. And if your EPD are done manually, it’s easy for standards to slip as we’ve recently seen: On May 28, 2024, the Market Court in Finland ruled that manufacturer Anstar Oy provided misleading information in its EPD about the origin and composition of the steel in its A-Beam S product. The case was brought by their competitor, Peikko Group Corporation. So what does this mean? The court has now ordered Anstar Oy to reimburse Peikko for their legal fees. And if Anstar Oy doesn’t update their EPD, they’ll be landed with a fine of 100,000 Euros. Ouch!. This case sets a new standard, indicating that any misleading information, intentional or not, can lead to substantial legal repercussions. One way to avoid this to use the software we’ve built at Pathways. It’s a cost-effective and accurate solution to creating an LCA and EPD. It stops you from making an expensive mistake or over-burdening your team. If you want to find out more, reach out to me and I’ll happily demo how it works. Because while you or a consultant might think skimping on the details is an easy win, the long-term cost both to the environment and your company bank balance can be detrimental. #Sustainability #EPDs #LCAs #Manufacturing #EnvironmentalImpact #Transparency #ConstructionMaterials