The Carbon Leadership Forum has created an array of resources to support the crafting of policies to radically reduce embodied carbon. For questions regarding embodied carbon policy in your region, email us or join a Carbon Leadership Forum Regional Hub to connect with other interested professionals in your city.
Policy Primer Educational Series
Policy is an essential step towards creating the scale of action required to rapidly reduce embodied carbon in construction. The policy primer series below begins with an introduction to procurement policies, also known as Buy Clean. Keep checking back to see additional primers on other policy areas.
Several key forms of embodied carbon policies to look out for in 2021 include:
- Procurement policies (like Buy Clean and material-specific variations)
- Climate Action Plans
- Building codes
- City zoning, land use, and building regulations and incentives, including building and material reuse policies
- Executive orders addressing embodied carbon of building and industrial sector emissions
Scroll down to find additional resources from the Carbon Leadership Forum:
1 – Embodied Carbon 101
This resource aims to provide a high-level overview of embodied carbon -- how it is defined, its significance in the global climate crisis, and why it is an important consideration for policymakers. Version:...
2 – What is a Buy Clean Policy?
This resource provides insight into why embodied carbon is an urgent problem, how Buy Clean poses a solution, and an overview of the key policy elements. Buy Clean is a procurement policy approach that aims to fill...
3 – Guidance on Embodied Carbon Disclosure
This resource aims to guide policymakers and procurement professionals in collecting high-quality embodied carbon data. Policies targeting the reduction of carbon emissions associated with building products require...
4 – Steps to Develop a Buy Clean Policy
This resource provides an overview of the five basic components of Buy Clean and highlights key choices at each step. Version: December 17, 2020Buy Clean is a policy approach that aims to reduce embodied carbon in...
5 – Guidance on Implementing Buy Clean
This document aims to provide an overview of key stakeholders and strategies for addressing the implementation challenges related to Buy Clean policy. Version: December 17, 2020Buy Clean is a procurement policy...
Tracking Federal Action on Embodied Carbon
Actors across the federal government are taking steps to address embodied carbon. This document provides a summary of recent highlights and ongoing initiatives related to reducing embodied carbon across federal...
Current Embodied Carbon Policy in the US
Embodied carbon policies are spreading rapidly across the United States. Hover over the map below to learn more about existing and proposed policies. For more information about the individual policies, see the links for each policy below the map.
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- Colorado
- Minnesota:
- State of Minnesota HF 2204 (Buy Clean Minnesota, not passed)
- Amendment to HF278
- Minnesota B3 Program
- Texas
- Hawaii:
All Policy Resources
CarbonPositive RESET! 1.5ºC Global Teach-In
The CarbonPositive RESET! 1.5ºC Global Teach-In session recordings are a free resource for architects, planners, engineers, builders, developers and policymakers interested in taking action towards a “CarbonPositive...
C40 Cities Clean Construction Policy Explorer
The Clean Construction Policy Explorer was first released in October 2020 by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. This new tool provides an interactive map for exploring global city-level policies related to...
Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction: 2020
The 2020 Global Status Report For Buildings And Construction is the fifth status report published by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) providing an annual progress update on action to...
5 – Guidance on Implementing Buy Clean
This document aims to provide an overview of key stakeholders and strategies for addressing the implementation challenges related to Buy Clean policy. Version: December 17, 2020Buy Clean is a procurement policy...
4 – Steps to Develop a Buy Clean Policy
This resource provides an overview of the five basic components of Buy Clean and highlights key choices at each step. Version: December 17, 2020Buy Clean is a policy approach that aims to reduce embodied carbon in...
3 – Guidance on Embodied Carbon Disclosure
This resource aims to guide policymakers and procurement professionals in collecting high-quality embodied carbon data. Policies targeting the reduction of carbon emissions associated with building products require...
2 – What is a Buy Clean Policy?
This resource provides insight into why embodied carbon is an urgent problem, how Buy Clean poses a solution, and an overview of the key policy elements. Buy Clean is a procurement policy approach that aims to fill...
1 – Embodied Carbon 101
This resource aims to provide a high-level overview of embodied carbon -- how it is defined, its significance in the global climate crisis, and why it is an important consideration for policymakers. Version:...
Low Carbon Concrete Sidewalk Pilot – 2020
Case Study This case study provides information on the City of Portland's first round of low-carbon concrete pilot projects, featuring sidewalk ramps within the City's Bureau of Transportation. The goal of the pilot...
Looking Ahead to Embodied Carbon Policy Action in 2021
As the tools and expertise available to measure and reduce embodied carbon have expanded, the urgency has shifted necessarily away from basic understanding of the importance of embodied carbon to taking bold steps...
Buy Clean Washington Study
Research Purpose: Review and evaluate embodied carbon policies to limit the embodied carbon of structural materials used in State building projects. About On January 8, 2018, members of the Washington (WA) State...
English 
Spanish 
French 
Italian 
German