NAPA roadmap details how to decarbonize asphalt pavements

The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) provides a comprehensive roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with asphalt pavements in a follow-up to its 2022 “GHG Emissions Inventory for Asphalt Mix Production in the United States” report.

In publishing the new report, “The Carbon Footprint of Asphalt Pavements: A Reference Document for Decarbonization," NAPA is taking proactive steps to provide a roadmap for the industry and agencies to leverage federal funding in the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 and other federal programs to reduce GHG emissions.

“The release of this report is impeccably timed,” says Heather Dylla, vice president of sustainability and innovation at Construction Partners Inc. “Coinciding with the recent launch of the FHWA’s Low Carbon Transportation Materials Program Grants, this report emerges as a critical resource for agency engineers and asphalt mix producers alike. It holds the potential to foster vital discussions and collaborations across the industry, propelling us toward collective sustainability goals.”

To achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050 (articulated in the industry’s The Road Forward initiative), one objective of the report is to identify technologies and practices that can be readily adopted or expanded to reduce GHG emissions associated with asphalt pavements.

For example, the average use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) nationally remains around 22 percent, according to data published annually by NAPA and FHWA. Yet scenarios show that a mix with 50 percent RAP can reduce cradle-to-gate (A1-A3) emissions by 29 percent compared to a mix without any RAP, NAPA says.

The report focuses on specific actions individual companies and agencies can take to reduce GHG emissions. The intended audience includes pavement engineers, asphalt mix producers, paving contractors, policymakers and other stakeholders with an interest in reducing embodied carbon emissions associated with asphalt pavements.

The report’s authors—Director of Sustainable Pavements Joseph Shacat; Vice President of Engineering, Research & Technology Richard Willis; and WAP Sustainability Director of LCA Technology Ben Ciavola—emphasize the importance of collaboration between industry, agencies and academia to advance these strategies. ​They also highlight the need for further research to better quantify and reduce emissions associated with asphalt pavements. ​

“This report serves as a critical resource for the asphalt pavement industry and other stakeholders in their efforts to lower emissions toward decarbonizing infrastructure,” NAPA President and CEO Audrey Copeland says.​ “By implementing the recommendations outlined in this report, and furthering research to fill gaps, we can make significant progress toward achieving a sustainable and resilient transportation system.”