The World Business Council for Sustainable Development has teamed up with industry partners to launch the Building System Carbon Framework. Its aim is to help align company actions towards a net-zero built environment.
The Building System Carbon Framework is targeted at companies involved in all aspects of the building sector: manufacturing, designing, constructing, investing, owning, operating, occupying, renovating and demolishing buildings.
It was launched at the end of June by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) together with a broad range of members companies: Acciona, Arcadis, ArcelorMittal, Arup, CRH, Guidehouse, LafargeHolcim, Mahindra Lifespaces, Majid al Futtaim, New World Development, Saint-Gobain and Skansk.
The aim of the framework is to develop a new framework for aligning all actors of the built environment around a common language for carbon emissions. According to a press release, the new framework will facilitate cooperation across the diverse building and construction system by using common metrics and a full life-cycle approach.
It utilizes a user-friendly reporting tool that provides a clear overview of the carbon emissions in the building and construction system and encourages stakeholders to identify the best emission-reduction strategies for all parts of the value chain.
According to the WBCSD, the built environment is currently responsible for 40 percent of the global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. “To achieve net zero, companies must collaborate,” says the WBCSD. This is precisely what the new framework seeks to accomplish.
In a first next step, the framework will be applied to case studies conducted in collaboration with project members.
Image credit: Alexander Abero via Unsplash
