An industry leader in sustainability, Granite Construction has joined The Road Forward, an initiative of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) to achieve net zero carbon emission asphalt pavements by 2050. The move is the latest in many steps Granite has taken to demonstrate its commitment to social responsibility, environmental stewardship, dependable governance and enduring value in pursuit of sustainability.
Granite has been involved in the development of The Road Forward since its inception. Granite's Sustainability Manager, Raven Adams, serves as vice chair of NAPA's sustainability committee and represented Granite and fellow asphalt producers on NAPA's Climate Stewardship Task Force, which developed The Road Forward goals.
"The Road Forward represents a comprehensive effort to guide our industry in adapting to the challenges presented by climate change," said Adams. "How we rise to these challenges will define this generation of business leaders, and Granite intends to be at the forefront."
Granite has made significant progress in its sustainability efforts. Last year, 20 Granite asphalt plants were recognized with NAPA Diamond Achievement Sustainable Commendations, which assess the social, economic and environmental efforts of an asphalt production facility to gauge how well it puts the principles of sustainability and community engagement into action — above and beyond the Diamond Achievement Commendation.
Other 2021 highlights include 26 NAPA Quality in Construction Awards, 1.03 million tons of waste diverted from landfills by recycling asphalt pavements and investments of $1.85 million in energy efficiency improvements. In addition, Granite aligned its annual Sustainability Reports with standard frameworks (GRI, SASB, and TCFD) and developed a climate target to reduce scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2030 from a 2020 baseline.
"Sustainability is central to our business purpose and strategy," said Granite President and CEO Kyle Larkin. "At Granite, we understand that our industry must adapt to the evolving needs of society, and that includes tackling the challenges of climate change. We are proud to support NAPA's vision to achieve net zero carbon emission asphalt pavements by sponsoring The Road Forward."
A 23-year NAPA member, Granite is recognized as one of the 25 largest construction companies in the country. As a full-suite civil construction provider and a major producer of construction materials, Granite's commitments to sustainability are impactful. In addition to The Road Forward, the company also participates in the United Nations Global Compact and was a founding sponsor for two nonprofits that created frameworks used to assess infrastructure sustainability: the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, which created the Envision rating system, and Greenroads.
"Granite is living its value of sustainability, setting an example for other companies, and — importantly — sharing its knowledge and experience with the asphalt pavement industry, the construction industry as a whole, and its fellow NAPA members," said NAPA President and CEO Audrey Copeland.
"Granite's commitment to developing and supporting The Road Forward further propels our collective vision for the future: sustainable communities and commerce, connected by net zero carbon asphalt pavements," she added.
For more information about The Road Forward, including details on the industry goals and how your company can support this work, visit AsphaltPavement.org/Forward.
For more information on Granite Construction, visit graniteconstruction.com
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