Embodied Carbon
Researchers in a laboratory at Oregon State University study the properties of cross-laminated timber. CLTs are a way to reduce the embodied impacts of a structural system.
“Embodied carbon” typically refers to the upfront greenhouse gas emissions associated with producing building materials.
Structural materials like steel and concrete tend to have the highest embodied carbon within a building, but all the other products, even down to interior finishes like drywall and carpet, come into play as well. To learn about the embodied carbon of a specific product, look to an environmental product declaration. A whole-building life-cycle assessment is necessary to understand the emissions associated with an entire project.
Embodied Carbon
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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The Urgency of Embodied Carbon and What You Can Do about It
Feature Article
Building materials emit massive amounts of carbon long before the lights go on. Here’s how thoughtful design can reduce global warming impact.
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The Cost of Comfort: Climate Change and Refrigerants
Feature Article
Refrigerants with very high global warming potential can negate the energy-efficiency benefits of many HVAC systems, including popular heat pumps.
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Better Steel, Lower Impacts
Feature Article
Steel’s reputation for high embodied energy and carbon emissions are well documented, but improvements in processing, product selection, and end use can minimize these impacts.
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The Great Eight: High-Impact Material Choices for Green Building
Feature Article
We’re at a tipping point in insulation, flooring, textiles, and other product categories. Here’s what to spec and what to avoid.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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How to Read an EPD: 7 Tips from the Field (Video)
Primer
In this short video primer, Arup engineer Frances Yang explains how to get what you need from environmental product declarations.
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Embodied Carbon: Measuring How Building Materials Affect Climate
Primer
Just as operating buildings emits greenhouse gases, buying and installing building materials, product, and appliances causes emissions as well.
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Binders in Manufactured Wood Products: Beyond Formaldehyde
Primer
Concerned about emissions regulations, the manufactured wood products industry is moving away from glues formulated with urea formaldehyde and phenol formaldehyde.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Rapidly Renewable Hemp Flooring and Lumber
Product Review
Hemp is a sustainable, low-embodied-carbon building material, but few products are actually made from it. HempWood is out to change that with its flooring and non-structural lumber made from hemp fibers.
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Offsetting the Impacts of Cushioned Carpet Tile
Product Review
Mohawk uses high recycled content and carbon offsets to reduce the embodied carbon of its EcoFlex One cushioned carpet tile.
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Blue Planet: Cost-Effective Carbon Sequestration
Product Review
Blue Planet turns industrial CO2 into aggregate, cost-effectively sequestering carbon while producing a viable commodity.
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New Blowing Agents Revolutionize XPS Industry
Product Review
Due to regulatory changes in Canada and certain U.S. states, manufacturers will be offering XPS with low global warming potential starting in 2021.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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How to Identify—and Get Your Hands on—Climate-Smart Wood
News Analysis
The Climate Smart Wood Group is offering procurement guidance while simultaneously pushing toward better data.
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TallyCAT Links Revit with Product-Specific Carbon Data
News Brief
Now in beta, tallyCAT facilitates embodied carbon decision-making through selection of specific products.
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Raze or Retrofit? CARE Tool Has the Answer
News Brief
From a carbon perspective, conventional wisdom says reuse is better, and the CARE Tool backs that up with data.
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California Architects, Get Ready for Net-Zero-Carbon Education
News Brief
The “ZNCD” California law requiring architects to take net-zero-carbon design courses goes into effect soon.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Material Transparency for LEED v4: EPDs and HPDs for Metal Studs
Blog Post
Reducing your building’s carbon footprint or health impacts? Going after new LEED credits? Transparency documents for steel studs can help.
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Building Products Matter Even More Than We Thought
Op-Ed
Operational energy use is critical, but materials might be an even bigger part of the solution to climate change and other pressing environmental issues.
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Building Materials and the Time Value of Carbon
Op-Ed
When you save matters. What you build matters. Here’s why we need to build well and rebuild better.
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Opinion: How EPDs Are Improving Our Products—A Manufacturer’s Perspective
Op-Ed
Some manufacturers wonder if EPDs are worth the effort. Yes—and the business case is stronger than the marketing case.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Wood: What’s Good?
Feature Article
Mass timber seems alluring because of its low carbon footprint, but not all wood is equally sustainable. We dig deep into the controversy over which types of timber are “climate smart.
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The Urgency of Embodied Carbon and What You Can Do about It
Feature Article
Building materials emit massive amounts of carbon long before the lights go on. Here’s how thoughtful design can reduce global warming impact.
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What Makes a Product Green Today?
Feature Article
Lots of manufacturers call their products "green," but are they? Here's our guide to the high-performance attributes that matter.
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Waste Not, Want Not: Case Studies of Building Material Reuse
Spotlight Report
Just For Fun
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