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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
-
How to Read an EPD: 7 Tips from the Field (Video)
Explainer
In this short video primer, Arup engineer Frances Yang explains how to get what you need from environmental product declarations.
-
Embodied Carbon: Measuring How Building Materials Affect Climate
Explainer
Just as operating buildings emits greenhouse gases, buying and installing building materials, product, and appliances causes emissions as well.
-
Binders in Manufactured Wood Products: Beyond Formaldehyde
Explainer
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Concrete
Product Guide
Producing cement, the primary ingredient in concrete, generates significant amounts of CO2, mercury, and other pollutants, so maximizing its performance and finding substitutes when possible can improve the environmental footprint of a building.
-
Engineered Wood
Product Guide
These sustainably sourced structural timbers offer low indoor emissions and other environmental benefits.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
-
This Is What Circularity Looks Like: A Pragmatic Playbook
News Brief
Upending the global economy to make it circular instead of linear sounds daunting. A new resource demonstrates how to become “circular ready.”
-
4 Big Questions as Building Codes Consider Embodied Carbon
News Analysis
Beyond “buy clean” procurement policies, a newer race is on to limit embodied carbon through codes. But the fate of the effort is uncertain.
-
Glass Pozzolan Wins Innovation Award
News Brief
Urban Mining Industries’ Pozzotive glass pozzolan can replace portland cement in concrete and is now a Concrete Innovation Award winner.
-
A New Effort to Ensure Carbon Offsets Mean Something
News Brief
Core Carbon Principles and assessment guidelines from the Integrity Council aim to help purchasers identify “high-quality” carbon credits.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
-
Embodied Carbon on a Roll
Blog Post
The carbon that’s emitted when we produce materials and construct our buildings is finally getting the attention it deserves.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
-
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.
-
Getting Low-Carbon Concrete into Your Next Project: A Virtual Roundtable
Webcast
In this one-hour deep dive, we’ll speak with industry experts on current and potential low-carbon concrete technologies, how to track concrete’s embodied carbon, and how to specify viable low-carbon concrete.
Register here: https://www.buildinggreen.com/webcast/lc-concrete -
Construction Emissions: A Virtual Roundtable
Webcast
In this one-hour panel discussion, we will tap the leading experts on estimating and tracking construction emissions and talk about best practices for reducing this slice of a project’s carbon footprint.
-
The Missing Embodied Carbon Link: Construction
Spotlight Report
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
- Check if your spelling is correct, or try removing filters.
- Remove quotes around phrases to match each word individually: "blue drop" will match less than blue drop.
- You can require or exclude terms using + and -: big +blue drop will require a match on blue while big blue -drop will exclude results that contain drop.
