Net-zero buildings: Where do we stand?

WBCSD’s report “Net-zero buildings: Where do we stand?” provides a detailed look at six whole building life cycle assessment (WBLCA) case studies to illustrate some of the challenges, barriers and opportunities relating to the building industry’s carbon footprint. It aims to provide an insight into the industry’s current performance and compare it to possible net-zero trajectories.

Analyzing the whole life carbon emissions of six building projects using the WBCSD Building System Carbon Framework, the report shows that:

1. An average whole life carbon footprint of 1,800 kgCO2e/m2 was estimated across the six case studies.
2. As much as 50% of whole life carbon emissions in a building comes from embodied carbon (manufacturing of materials and the construction process) the majority of this being emitted immediately at the start of the life cycle.
3. Typically as few as six materials account for 70% of the construction-related embodied carbon.