The Biden administration wants to find more sustainable building materials

The Biden administration announced $160 million in grants to projects aimed at measuring the climate impact of new construction materials. Donations cover a spectrum of potential alternatives, from hemp-based products to bamboo, recycled steel and more.

Scientists and startups have proposed all sorts of new ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from building materials that have become a major climate problem. But it’s difficult to assess how effective proposed solutions are without metrics to compare products. There is also potential for greenwashing, when companies make sustainability claims that they cannot support with evidence.

That’s where the Environmental Protection Agency plans to step in with funding allocated through the Reducing Inflation Act of 2022. The $160 million will largely go toward helping companies develop “high-quality environmental product declarations” (EPDs) ) that estimate the impact a product will have over its useful life. The hope is that more standardized reporting will allow climate-conscious shoppers, including the federal government, to compare different products and make more informed purchases.

“This funding will create markets for American manufacturers who make cleaner materials and help companies better understand and communicate the environmental impacts of their products,” said Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) in a statement. Press release Tuesday.

There are 38 grant recipients, including individual companies, universities and trade groups representing cement, glass, wood and other industries. The nonprofit Hemp Building Institute, for example, received nearly $6.2 million to develop environmental assessments for materials made from hemp, soybeans and other crops. That includes “hemp concrete”made from hemp that can replace traditional concrete and insulation. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) received nearly $1 million to set up an “academic center” and annual workshops focused on steel reuse.

Construction materials account for about 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. For comparison purposes, this represents 7 times more climate pollution than aviation produces each year. Pollution from concrete and steel, in particular, is notoriously difficult to eliminate. Concrete is the most used substance in the world after water. Cement and steel production also require high temperatures normally achieved by burning fossil fuels, while cement creates additional CO2 through a chemical reaction in the manufacturing process. This makes it even more important to reuse materials and find alternatives whenever possible.