Back to all resources

The CLF Benchmark Explorer

The CLF Benchmark Explorer, created to better visualize the data created by the WBLCA Benchmark Study v2, consists of a set of customizable box and whisker plots for use in design, research, and education.

    About the Dashboard

    The CLF Benchmark Explorer is a tool created to better visualize the data created by the WBLCA Benchmark Study V2. It consists of a set of customizable box and whisker plots for use in design, research, and education. These plots can be used to understand the impacts of building typologies and learn more about the WBLCA Benchmark Study dataset created by the CLF and the University of Washington’s Life Cycle Lab.

    Relationship of CLF Embodied Carbon Benchmark Report

    This dashboard is meant to enable exploration, research, and education. While it is a valuable tool for comparison making and target setting, the CLF does not recommend it be used to derive carbon limits or budgets for LCA policies or programs. The CLF Embodied Carbon Benchmark Report serves this purpose by presenting curated benchmarks intended for reference in building-scale policies, incentives, certification programs, and other real-world applications. In order to be legible and useful for a wide variety of applications, the embodied carbon budgets (ECBs) in the CLF Embodied Carbon Benchmark Report were generated with specific methods that extend beyond what can be assessed with this dashboard or with the raw dataset alone. 

    Please note that these additional methods and curated benchmark figures are not available in the dashboard which is built directly on the public dataset.

    Danksagung

    We would like to thank the individuals and respective firms who participated in the data collection and quality assurance process, this work would not have been possible without their support and dedication to this project. These included: Arrowstreet Architects, Arup, BranchPattern, Brightworks Sustainability, Buro Happold, BVH Architecture, DCI Engineers, EHDD, Ellenzweig, Gensler, GGLO, Glumac, Group 14 Engineering, Ha/f ClimateDesign, HOK, KieranTimberlake, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Lake|Flato, LMN Architects, Mahlum Architects, Mead & Hunt, Inc., Mithun, Perkins&Will, reLoad Sustainable Design Inc., SERA Architects, Stok, The Green Engineer Inc., The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP., Walter P Moore, and ZGF Architects LLP. 

    Urheberrechte ©

    Published under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)

    benchmark explorer

    Autoren

    • Manuel Chafart, Lead
    • Aurora Jensen, Senior Manager
    • Brad Benke, Manager
    • Meghan Lewis, Program Director

    Zitat

    Chafart, M., Jensen, A., Benke, B., Lewis, M. (2025). CLF Benchmark Explorer (Version 1.0) Computer Software. Carbon Leadership Forum, https://wblca-benchmark-explorer.carbonleadershipforum.org

    Reclaimed and Reused: Recommended LCA Modeling Guidance to Support EPDs for Reused Construction Materials

    Material reuse is one strategy for reducing the embodied carbon of construction. While the preparation of previously used materials for reuse has an environmental impact, it avoids many of the resource extraction and manufacturing impacts of building with newly manufactured products. Given the amount of demolition and deconstruction across North America (and beyond), there is a vast potential for material reuse to expand in scale. However, barriers to material reuse scaling exist.

    DEQ Low Embodied Carbon Housing Program: Roadmap to Success

    Embodied Carbon Pathways to 2050 for the United States, a collaboration between the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF), RMI, and the University of Washington (UW) Life Cycle Lab, provides an assessment of embodied carbon from US construction materials and explores pathways to align with a 1.5°C global warming limit.

    International Embodied Carbon Data Availability: A Review of Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Availability in Europe, China, and Australia

    CLF completed a landscape analysis of product-level embodied carbon data availability in regions outside North America with the goals of: (i) understanding how LCA/EPD data availability varies globally; (ii) informing where targeted initiatives are needed to increase the availability of data; and (iii) determining whether adequate EPD data exists to develop CLF Material Baselines outside North America. This report summarizes our findings and provides initial insights into what data is available to inform low-carbon procurement efforts in Australia, China, and Europe.

    Embodied Carbon Pathways to 2050 for the United States

    Embodied Carbon Pathways to 2050 for the United States, a collaboration between the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF), RMI, and the University of Washington (UW) Life Cycle Lab, provides an assessment of embodied carbon from US construction materials and explores pathways to align with a 1.5°C global warming limit.

    Washington State Carbon Emissions Estimation: 2025 – 2050

    Emissions from the operations of buildings and infrastructure are significant, well-understood contributors to national and global greenhouse gas emissions. However, the contribution of embodied carbon—emissions associated with the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of construction materials across the life cycle of a building or asset—is neglected by comparison. Even at the global level, embodied carbon estimates are typically based on manufacturing emissions from the production of a handful of the highest-impact materials (e.g. concrete, steel, aluminum, and wood).

    2025 CLF North American Material Baselines

    The CLF North American Material Baselines Report provides a snapshot of the state of environmental product declarations (EPDs) for North American-produced building materials. This report includes: Background and methodology, CLF Baselines (industry-average embodied carbon values), and a Detailed results by material category

    View all policy resources in our resource library