ClarkDietrich, North America’s biggest manufacturer of cold-formed steel framing products, is launching a new range of low embodied carbon (LEC) steel framing solutions, providing architects and engineers more flexibility in creating sustainable structures.
LEC’s portfolio comprises the ProSTUD metal drywall framing system, structural steel, clips and connections, floor framing, and more.
The new offers make ClarkDietrich the first steel framing company to provide LEC materials nationwide, which “have less climate impact associated with mining, manufacturing, and transportation,” according to the EPA. ClarkDietrich’s LEC cold-formed steel is made with steel coils from electric arc furnace (EAF) mills, rather than basic oxygen furnaces (BOFs), which are usually used in steel manufacturing. This results in products with 30% less embodied carbon than their regular counterparts.
“As a leading manufacturer of products for the built environment, we have a responsibility to continuously improve the sustainability of the products we supply,” stated Adam Shoemaker, Corporate Sustainability Manager at ClarkDietrich. “We’re proud to be an industry leader into this new frontier.”
ClarkDietrich’s LEC products are certified by an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which provides transparency into the manufacturing and supply chain. They serve as a unique option for a rising number of projects that aim to reduce embodied carbon. This EPD addresses Low Embodied Carbon (LEC) Cold-Formed Steel Products as defined by the United States General Services Administration’s (GSA) Interim IRA Low Embodied Carbon Material Requirements, and it meets the top 20% limit for cold-formed and galvanized steel products (U.S. GSA, 2023), as well as private sector LEED projects seeking low embodied carbon optimization.
ClarkDietrich’s latest investment in LEC products demonstrates the company’s dedication to sustainability and green building. Last year, the company released its first corporate sustainability report, emphasizing its commitment to taking real steps for the benefit of the Earth, its inhabitants, and the long-term financial stability of all stakeholders. ClarkDietrich also released SustainabilityPRO last year, an easy-to-use digital platform that provides users with instant access to product-specific information and certifications required to compute contributions to LEED, LBC, WELL, and many other green building rating systems.
