by Brook Waldman, Low Carbon Products Lead

In 2019, CLF published the Embodied Carbon Baselines report that provided “informed estimates of the range of embodied carbon within a material category.” Today, we publish the 2025 CLF North American Material Baselines Report — the fourth major edition in this series that builds upon earlier versions while maintaining the same essential goal from 2019. 

A resource for policymakers, agency staff, project teams, researchers, tool developers, and others, this report provides:

  • a “state of EPDs” snapshot of North American construction materials, 
  • a set of industry-average CLF baseline embodied carbon values (or “baselines”) for construction products, and 
  • ein supporting methodology. 

To drive action built on informed comparisons, the baselines serve as a basis of comparison for evaluating individual products in low-carbon procurement policies, green building rating systems, and project specifications. They also serve as average embodied carbon intensity values for project-scale modeling.

Key updates in this version include: 

  • updated data and baseline values that reflect the current state of EPDs in 2025; 
  • new categories like asphalt mixtures, applied fireproofing, brick, ceramic tile, and more; 
  • more baseline values, reflecting new EPD data and CLF’s expansion of baseline-setting methods.   

Dive in…there’s a lot in there. And we look forward to hearing from you.

2025 CLF North American Material Baselines

The 2025 CLF North American Material Baselines project continues the work of and builds upon previous CLF Material Baselines reports. 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:

  1. Background and methodology
  2. CLF Baselines (industry-average embodied carbon values) 
  3. Detailed results by material category
Explore the Report

CLF Updates

  • CLF publishes two new reports in collaboration with the University of Washington College of Built Environments Life Cycle Lab that explore carbon accounting and health impacts related to mass timber and wood
  • The CLF and UW Life Cycle Lab's latest paper: "A novel whole-life carbon assessment of thirty buildings in California" was published in the Journal of Building Engineering

 

Exciting Embodied Carbon News

  • A Message from the Board Chair of  Building Transparency 
  • Colorado Governor Polis Signs Bill to Encourage Cleaner Construction
  • Microsoft on Building new markets to advance sustainability
  • Acelab and Grace Farms Foundation launch industry-transforming AI solution to simplify design for Freedom Material Tracking

 

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Building Lasting Change Conference

June 18-20, 2025 | Join the Building Lasting Change Conference in Vancouver, BC to experience the business and technical insights needed to accelerate high-value, resilient and zero-carbon buildings. With rising commitments to decarbonize and futureproof assets, demand for green buildings is growing. Today, architects, owners, occupiers, and investors are prioritizing green building to achieve ESG commitments, increase asset value, reduce operational expenses, and stay ahead of evolving standards and regulations. Over two packed days, industry leaders will dive into decarbonization drivers, financing models, regulatory shifts, and practical strategies to decarbonize existing and new buildings.

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Towards Zero Carbon 2025: Summit & Symposium

June 26 - June 27, 2025 | Das Structural Engineering Institute, SE 2050, and the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering have partnered to host a two-day event focused on moving the structural engineering profession towards zero carbon. Join us for two days of focused discussion on embodied carbon, networking with fellow structural engineers and enjoying summertime in Boulder.

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CLF Community Calendar

Check out the CLF Community Calendar to explore more events happening this month!

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  • 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.

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