Quantifying the Sustainable Advantage of RenewWall Noise Wall
RMP Global, a leader in sustainable infrastructure, chose CarbonGraph to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on their RenewWall Noise Wall System. The primary objective was to generate a Type III Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) to support business-to-business communication and meet stringent customer procurement requirements, including LEED and Envision certification.
The collaboration validated the RenewWall's environmental claims and established a robust, transparent baseline model to inform future sustainability efforts.
The Sustainability Advantages Proven
The LCA verified the key environmental benefits of the RenewWall system, reinforcing RMP Global's commitment to sustainable construction:
100% Recycled Content: The core of the product—the noise wall panels—is made from 100% post-industrial recycled Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), validating a significant circular economy claim.
Extended Reference Service Life (RSL): The system's RSL was set at 75 years for all components (LLDPE panels and steel structure). This extreme longevity is supported by the LLDPE’s inherent immunity to corrosion, rust, and rot, which is a proven advantage over traditional materials like precast concrete.
High End-of-Life Recyclability: The design facilitates disassembly into monomaterial components (steel and plastic). The study confirmed a high projected end-of-life recycling rate of 95% for the structural steel and justified a 21.9% recycling rate for the LLDPE panels, surpassing the common default assumptions for plastics in construction.
The Baseline CarbonGraph LCA Model
The project established a detailed and verified LCA model for the RenewWall Noise Wall System, conducted by Alexander Crease of CarbonGraph, Inc.
Product Scope: The study covered a Cradle-to-Gate with Options boundary (modules A1-A3, A4, A5, C1-C4, and D), focusing on the production, transport, installation, and end-of-life phases.
Functional Unit: The analysis quantified all impacts per 1 m² of installed noisewall.
Methodology and Standards: The LCA followed an attributional approach in accordance with ISO 14040, ISO 14044, and ISO 21930:2017, and was prepared under the Smart EPD Part A PCR, positioning the resulting EPD for third-party verification and international comparability.
Data & Software: The model was built using CarbonGraph software and underpinned by the ecoinvent v3.11 background database, ensuring a rigorous and defensible inventory analysis.
What CarbonGraph Enables RMP Global to Do, Quantify, or Justify
The CarbonGraph LCA model moves RMP Global beyond simple claims, enabling them to:
Achieve Market-Essential Certification: The LCA provides the foundational, verified data necessary to publish a Type III EPD, which is a mandatory prerequisite for meeting the sustainability requirements of major projects and achieving certification under green building schemes like LEED and Envision.
Justify Superior Recycling Rates: CarbonGraph's methodology allowed RMP Global to transparently justify a higher LLDPE recycling rate (21.9%) than the regional default (0% for plastics in the US construction sector) by explicitly documenting the product's monomaterial design and use of external peer-reviewed data. This enables RMP Global to report a more accurate and favorable end-of-life profile.
Isolate and Allocate Energy Use: The model provides a robust framework to allocate facility-level energy consumption (electricity and natural gas) for the rotomolding process by using a combination of machine operating time and floor area as a physically relevant proxy. This ensures accurate and auditable allocation of manufacturing burdens, which was previously impossible without process-level submetering.
Demonstrate Value to DOTs and Architects: The EPD data provides a quantified, standardized, and third-party verifiable disclosure of the product's environmental performance, giving architects and Departments of Transportation (DOTs) the confidence and data they need to select RenewWall over less sustainable alternatives.
Learn more about RMP Global at https://rmpglobal.com/.