Reducing embodied carbon in Canada’s buildings
Findings from the first National Embodied Carbon Summit identify key gaps, solutions, and next steps
Embodied carbon is widely recognized as the next frontier in building decarbonization, but where to begin? CAGBC has released a new white paper, charting a path forward: Reducing Embodied Carbon in Canada’s Buildings. The report summarizes insights from the inaugural National Embodied Carbon Summit, held last year in Toronto.
Hosted by CAGBC, the event brought together over 60 professionals from across the building sector—including representatives from leading architectural firms, engineering companies, construction management firms, sustainability consultants, and building material industry associations, as well as governments, agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and academic institutions, among others —to identify key gaps and barriers, propose solutions, and mapping the next steps for reducing embodied carbon in Canada’s built environment.
Based on the collective brainstorming of participants, this white paper captures the top industry priorities and actionable next steps that will help drive alignment, innovation, and needed government and industry support to scale up low-carbon construction across the country.
A national conversation whose time has come
While progress has been made in reducing operational emissions from buildings, embodied carbon has only gained significant attention in recent years and tackling it will require industry collaboration and cooperation.
Over the course of the Summit, participants identified hundreds of gaps and barriers, which were then consolidated and prioritized into the following key areas:
- Framework for whole building life cycle assessment (wbLCA)
- Tools and data
- Awareness, training, and education
- Embodied carbon requirements in codes and certifications
- Economic considerations and incentives
- Research, development, and commercialization
- Availability of verified low-carbon products
“The Summit was instrumental in distilling these key challenges and developing corresponding solutions for reducing embodied carbon. This white paper summarizes that work, develops a structure to guide future efforts, and provides the industry with a clear path to accelerate progress.”
Mark Hutchinson, Senior VP of Green Building Programs & Innovation at CAGBC.
Momentum is building
Since the Summit, several notable advancements have been made to address some of the identified barriers, including:
- The National Research Council (NRC) released new guidance on wbLCA, enabling greater consistency in the methodologies, boundaries and assumptions used in wbLCAs.
- The Embodied Carbon Harmonization and Optimization (ECHO) Project published recommendations and guidance to create consistency in metrics and reporting.
These developments mark significant steps toward standardizing embodied carbon assessment in Canada, helping policymakers, industry professionals, and owners to streamline their efforts and have a common language to discuss results.
“The progress we’re seeing is encouraging, but there’s still important work ahead – success will depend on continued cross-sector coordination,” says Hutchinson. “CAGBC will keep driving this conversation forward, helping to ensure building professionals have the tools, training, and data they need to take meaningful action.”
CAGBC thanks Provencher Roy for their sponsorship, Arup for sponsoring the Summit event space and closing reception, and ZEIC for their in-kind sponsorship through facilitating the Summit.