The American Cement Association (ACA) has announced the publication of a new Product Category Rule (PCR) establishing a common framework for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for cement and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs).

Published by Smart EPD on 4 September 2026, the Part B Product Category Rules for Cementitious Materials consolidates three previous PCRs covering construction cements, SCMs and slag cement. It aims to streamline EPD development, remove duplication and harmonise assessment and reporting methods.

The scope includes Portland and blended cements, slag cement, coal ash, natural pozzolans, calcined clay, metakaolin, silica fume and ground-glass pozzolan. Requirements for SCMs and slag cement are more closely aligned with those for cement, including data quality, allocation methods, greenhouse gas reporting and machine-readable EPDs.

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PCRs govern the life-cycle assessments underpinning EPDs. The unified framework is intended to improve the consistency and transparency of embodied-carbon reporting as producers increase SCM use in blended cements.

Sponsored by the ACA, Slag Cement Association and Natural Pozzolan Association, the PCR is primarily intended for the US and Canadian markets and is valid until 4 September 2031.