The Treated Wood Council has completed a quantitative evaluation of the environmental impacts associated with the national production, use, and disposition of ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary)-treated lumber decking and wood plastic composite decking using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies and following ISO 14044 standards. The results for treated wood decking are significant. • Less Energy & Resource Use: Treated wood decking requires less total energy, less fossil fuel, and less water than wood plastic composite decking. • Lower Environmental Impacts: Treated wood decking has lower environmental impacts in comparison to wood plastic composite decking in all five of the impact indicator categories assessed: anthropogenic greenhouse gas, acid rain, smog potential, ecotoxicity, and eutrophication-causing emissions. • Less Fossil Fuel Use: The fossil fuel footprint of a treated wood deck is equivalent to driving a car 38 miles/year. In comparison, the fossil fuel footprint of a wood plastic composite deck is equivalent to driving a car 540 miles/year. • Recoverable Energy: The carbon embodied in wood makes out-of-service wood products excellent candidates for energy recovery. Treated wood can be used in cogeneration facilities or synthetic fuel manufacturing facilities as a non-fossil fuel source. Impact indicator values for the cradle-to-grave life cycle of ACQ-treated lumber were normalized to one (1.0), with wood plastic decking impact indicator values being a multiple of one (if larger) or a fraction of one (if smaller).

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