by Lloyd Rubidge, Director of Architecture, Henriquez Partners Architects

Around 2010 I designed my first rated building in South Africa under the Green Star rating system. The project was hugely ambitious and put in great effort to be sustainable in every way possible. It was one of the first buildings in the country to achieve the top Six Star rating (the equivalent of LEED Platinum), and ultimately was very successful, but even so, this project mostly ignored embodied carbon. At that time, embodied carbon was not seen as particularly important and was relatively ignored by the rating tools. Building codes were rapidly increasing requirements for energy savings, but there was no discussion of incorporating embodied carbon.

by Meghan Byrne, Engagement and Communications Lead

In the vibrant tapestry of our CLF Newsletter, the Member Impact section stands as a testament to the power of individual action in the pursuit of sustainability. Over the past four years, we've woven together narratives from nearly 200 members across our network, each one a unique thread in the fabric of embodied carbon leadership. From seasoned veterans of environmental advocacy to fresh faces stepping into the realm of carbon reduction, these stories pulse with a shared energy—a conviction that change is not only possible but essential.

Now, we want to know: What are you and your organization doing to help reduce embodied carbon emissions? Share your impact story and ignite inspiration in others as we journey towards a more sustainable future together.

In May, the Carbon Leadership Forum announced the publication of The California Carbon Report: An Analysis of the Embodied and Operational Carbon Impacts of 30 Buildings

This report is the first in a series of reports that will be released as a part of the CLF WBLCA Benchmark Study (v2), which will build upon research and insights from the 2017 Embodied Carbon Benchmark Study. The project will expand our research methodology and result in embodied carbon benchmarks for buildings, systems, and assemblies modeled with consistent scope and background data. This will allow designers and decision-makers to set reliable embodied carbon targets and understand the potential for reduction throughout the design and construction processes.

The Embodied Carbon Policy Toolkit is a collection of resources designed to provide policymakers with tools to understand the current landscape of embodied carbon policy and to support the crafting of policies to radically reduce embodied carbon in buildings and infrastructure.

The Toolkit is packed with a wide range of policy-focused essentials, including seven downloadable policy factsheets on a variety of topics, an updated global policy tracker map, an array of policy-specific reports and case studies, and an introductory video series that takes a deeper dive into core embodied carbon policy concepts and implementable frameworks. 

Please visit the new Embodied Carbon Policy Toolkit section of the CLF website and learn everything you need to know about how policy can be an effective lever to reduce embodied carbon in the built environment.

About the Carbon Leadership Forum

Who we are

• The Carbon Leadership Forum accelerates transformation of the building sector to radically reduce the embodied carbon in building materials and construction.
• We pioneer research, create resources, foster cross-sector collaboration, and incubate member-led initiatives to bring embodied carbon emissions of buildings down to zero.
• We are architects, engineers, contractors, material suppliers, building owners, and policymakers who care about the future and take bold steps to eliminate embodied carbon from buildings and infrastructure.

www.carbonleadershipforum.org

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