Session
TU.3.B || Life Cycle Data Supporting Supply Chain Management

Authors
De Giovanetti, Luca; Hunziker, Roland

Abstract
To meet the Paris Agreement objectives and limit global warming to well 2°C above pre-industrial levels, it is essential to decarbonize our economy by 2050. This is a huge challenge for the built environment, which is currently responsible for almost 40% of global energy and process-related CO2 emissions. The stakeholders that make up the building and construction system contribute to the overall emissions directly and indirectly. Therefore, to achieve decarbonization, each of them needs to focus not only on its own emissions, but also on how they can actively support an overall net-zero transition of buildings. The Building System Carbon Framework is a conceptual assessment tool aimed at representing the carbon emissions in the building and construction system. It provides a clear overview of the embodied and operational carbon emissions according to the different life cycle stages of buildings and the building’s layers or components. It has been developed by the WBCSD with the objective to create transparency of where and when carbon emissions are generated, allowing stakeholders to make informed decisions and accelerate the transition to net zero. It is based to on the building life-cycle standards defined by the building standards EN15978:20114 and supported by the environmental product declaration (EPD) standards EN158045 modules. It is inspired by the concept of “Whole Life Carbon Assessment” originally proposed by RICS. The Building Systems Carbon Framework marks its relevance for the LCM 2021 Conference as it contributes to the operationalization of Life Cycle sustainability and thinking, establishing a common carbon language, supporting a collaborative system decarbonization, alongside facilitating regulatory, investment and design decisions and procurements.