Lifecycle GHG Impacts in Building Codes
Report / January 18, 2022 / Codes And Policy
NBI’s report presents language to incorporate embodied carbon requirements in building codes. Researchers explain the need to address the embodied carbon of the highest emitting materials and the carbon emission benefits for jurisdictions. This report examines the current lack of understanding of what a regulation on embodied carbon would look like in a U.S. base code. The code acknowledges the importance of building materials in the construction industry and aims to achieve practical reductions in climate impact by encouraging lower embodied carbon materials. Example code language can be adopted by jurisdictions starting with product Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) reporting, to target global warming potential (GWP) limits for specific materials, and finally moving to a whole life carbon approach with whole building lifecycle analysis.
To learn more about this topic, visit our embodied carbon webpage.