Welcome to the BC Low-Carbon Material Sourcing Guide. This guide is updated regularly with the latest materials which meet low carbon criteria.
Updated Nov 21, 2024
Why This Guide?
The construction of buildings in BC is responsible for 7.5Mt of carbon emissions every year, that’s about 10% of all emissions produced within BC. These emissions are associated with the materials within a building and are known as the embodied carbon (or embodied emissions) of a building.
In order to meet our climate goals, the whole construction industry needs to dramatically change the way we design buildings, and to transition to low embodied carbon design quickly. The City of Vancouver has laid out it’s climate action road map, aiming to reduce all emissions by 40% by 2030 and to get to carbon negative by 2050.
There are many ways that designers and builders can reduce the embodied carbon of the buildings they are building, and many of these tools are available today, and at little or no additional cost:
Although material EPD databases exist, it is not directly clear which of those materials are available within BC, or even within Canada. And for those products that are available, builders and contractors are often unclear on where to source them. This guide aims to serve designers by providing a list of materials that are readily available within BC, and also provide builders and contractors with direct links to suppliers of these materials.
About This Guide
The global warming potential listed within this guide are reported directly from the EC3 database which is a publicly available, free-to-use tool developed and maintained by Building Transparency.
All materials within this guide have a verified EPD within the EC3 database. EC3 is one of the most expansive, publicly accessible EPD databases.
Manufactures can submit their EPDs directly to EC3, and have the opportunity to report the country of origin as well as locations that the product is available to purchase.
All materials listed in the tables below are available for purchase within BC. In this first iteration of the guide, two material categories were identified as having the biggest impact on the overall embodied carbon of a building [1]. These are:
- Insulation (typically ~20% embodied carbon of a home)
- Concrete (typically ~35% embodied carbon of a home)
Note: Typical values listed here are as found in the City of Nelson Material Carbon Emissions Guide and consider A1-A3 (cradle to gate) only. Only materials with a verified EPD are included in this guide except for those included in the novel materials table.
Quick Links
Insulation
Insulation is unique in that there is a wide variety of insulation products on the market, designed to accommodate different applications (underground, wall, roof) and a variety of product formats (board, blown, batt, etc). It is not helpful to suggest only the lowest carbon insulation products, knowing that blown insulation is not a suitable alternative for projects that have been designed to accommodate board insulation. Unlike other materials, where increasing material efficiency, and reducing material volumes is a key strategy to reduce overall embodied carbon, using less insulation will often result in an increase in operational emissions. Consequently, choice of insulation has a significant impact on total carbon.
Loose Fill Insulation
| GWP [kgCO2e/m2 @RSI1] | Manufacturer | Product | Location | Supplier | EPD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.49 | CIMA Industry Average | Baseline Cellulose Loose-Fill | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 0.99 | NAIMA Industry Average | Baseline Fiberglass Loose-Fill | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 1.89 | NAIMA Industry Average | Baseline Mineral Wool Loose-Fill | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 0.18 | Applegate-Greenfiber | SANCTUARY® by Greenfiber® Blow-In or Spray-Applied Insulation (Salt Lake City production facility) | Lower Mainland, Interior | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 0.29 | Soprema | Cellulose Thermal Insulation - Excluding Biogenic Carbon | Province Wide | View Supplier | View EPD |
| -1.16 | Soprema | Cellulose Thermal Insulation - Including Biogenic Carbon | Province Wide | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 0.87 | Owens Corning | Unbonded Loosefill - Atticat, Propink | Lower Mainland, Interior Province Wide Vancouver Island | View LM, Int. View Prov. View Van. Is. | View EPD |
Batt Insulation
| GWP [kgCO2e/m2 @RSI1] | Manufacturer | Product | Location | Supplier | EPD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.01 | NAIMA Industry Average | Fiberglass Batt (Unfaced) | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 1.12 | CIMA Industry Average | Baseline Cellulose Dense Pack (56 kg/m3 ) | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 2.86 | NAIMA Industry Average | Baseline Mineral Wool Light Density Board | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 0.66 | Owens Corning | PINK Next Gen Fiberglas (Unfaced) | North America | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 0.88 | Owens Corning | Thermafiber Mineral Wool Insulation, SAFB 2.5 pcf (Joplin), Unfaced | Available in BC | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 1.04 | Certain Teed | Canada Sustainable Metal Building Insulation, R-10 | North America | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 1.18 | ROCKWOOL International A/S (Rockwool North America) | Rockwool Stone Wool Thermal Insulation for Buildings | Available in BC | View Supplier | view EPD |
Board Insulation
| GWP kgCO2e/m2 @RSI1 | Manufacturer | Product | Location | Supplier | EPD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.20 | CLF 2023 Material Baselines Report | Baseline Polyiso - roof - GRF facer | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 2.54 | EPS Industry Aliance | Industry Average - Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) - Type 1 | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 3.04 | CLF 2023 Material Baselines Report | Baseline Polyiso - roof - CFG facer | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 4.19 | CLF 2023 Material Baselines Report | Baseline Polyiso - Wall | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 6.70 | CLF 2023 Material Baselines Report | Baseline Extruded Polysterene (XPS) - reduced-HFC blowing agent | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 6.82 | NAIMA Industry Average | Baseline Heavy Density Mineral Wool Board | North America | View Source | View EPD |
| 1.47 | BASF Neopor / Beaver Plastics | Chrome (Neopor F5200 Plus GPS Type I) | Available in BC | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 1.50 | Owens Corning | VersaBoard 35 - Joplin plant | Available in BC | View Supplier | view EPD |
| 1.95 | Soprema | Sopra-XPS | Available in BC | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 4.00 | Rockwool | COMFORTBOARD 80 | Available in BC | View Supplier | View EPD |
Want to give us feedback or updates?
Ready Mix Concrete
With concrete, design decisions have more impact than lowering the GWP (Global Warming Potential) of the mixes due to concrete consistently being the most embodied carbon intensive material of a building. Control over GWP numbers is limited due to location, structural requirements, availability, and time. The most effective decisions for the least cost are listed below, but for more detailed information see Concrete: A Pragmatic Approach to Lowering Embodied Carbon and Specifying Low-carbon Concrete Guide.
Low-cost decisions to minimize embodied carbon of concrete:
- Keep existing concrete structures, including slabs.
- Minimize volume
- Limit transfer slabs by optimizing the structure
- Have less parking
- Increase usable space (depending on the building typology: minimize corridors, maximize bedrooms, maximize desk space, design flexible, multi-use spaces)
- Replace with other materials where possible (concrete typically has the highest embodied carbon content compared to any other material in a building) - Ask for an EPD (and if not available, a spec sheet).
- Increase SCM (Supplementary Cementitious Material) where possible (particularly where finish is not important). Look to BC Concrete Industry EPD to understand what savings at can be achieved.
- Use Portland-limestone Cement (GUL) instead of Portland Cement (GU). GUL is considered default in lower British Colombia but availability may be more difficult in other areas of BC.
- Have a longer "days to strength". 28 days is standard practice, but 56 or 91 day strengths may be possible depending on application.
The below table lists ready-mixed concrete suppliers and associated publicly available EPDs of their lowest carbon mixes available in BC as of July 2024. EPD's for concrete must be reviewed for structural, thermal, and exposure properties for comparability. Contact a supplier to discuss availability.
| Supplier | Locations w EPDs | GWP @ 25 MPa [kgCO2e/m3] | GWP @ 30 MPa [kgCO2e/m3] | GWP @ 35 MPa [kgCO2e/m3] | Supplier Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete BC, Industry Baseline, Not Air Entrained | BC | 220 at 28 days | 259 at 28 days | 294 at 28 days | View Source |
| Concrete BC, Industry Baseline, Air Entrained | BC | 231 at 28 days | 270 at 28 days | 311 at 28 days | View Source |
| Butler | Keating Sooke Victoria | 109 at 28 days | 132 at 28 days | 145 at 28 days | View Supplier |
| Lafarge | Chilliwack Clearbrook Kent Avenue Maple Ridge North Vancouver Port Mann Surrey Vancouver Harbour | 111 at 56 days | 123 at 56 days | 132 at 56 days | View Supplier |
| Heidelberg | Granville Island Kelowna Langley Mitchell Island Nanaimo North Vancouver Surrey Victoria | 90 at 91 days | 148 at 91 days | 138 at 91 days | View Supplier |
| Burnco | BC | 166 at 56 days | 184 at 56 days | 201 at 56 days | View Supplier |
Want to give us feedback or updates?
Reinforcing Bar (Rebar)
Rebar in British Columbia frequently comes from international sources. Consequently, using the North American industry average Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) might not accurately reflect the typical embodied carbon of rebar in BC. Tracking the embodied carbon of rebar can be challenging unless it comes from a low-carbon manufacturer or mill with a specific EPD. The table below lists known low-carbon rebar products available in BC.
| GWP [kgCO2e/kg] | Manufacturer | Product | Location | Supplier | EPD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.85 | CRSI Industry Average | Fabricated Steel Reinforcement (rebar) | North America | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 0.44 | Cascade Steel Rolling Mills | Reinforcing bar - Standard A615/706 | Oragon, US | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 0.53 | Nucore Steel | Fabricated Merchant Bar - Steel Reinforcing Bar | Seattle, US | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 0.77 | Gerdau | Reinforcing bar | Ontario, CA | View Supplier | View EPD |
Want to give us feedback or updates?
Cladding
| GWP [kgCO2e/m2] | Manufacturer | Product | Location | Supplier | EPD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.63 | James Hardie | Hardie Plank HZ5 / Hardie Panel HZ5 / Hardie Architectural Panel HZ5 | Province Wide | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 2.78 | Louisiana Pacific (LP) | SmartSide Lap Siding | Province Wide | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 12.0 | Interstate | Thin Faced Brick | Vancouver, BC | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 14.9 | AEP Span | Roll Formed Steel Panels, Painted and Protected | Washington, US | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 15.3 | CLF 2023 Material Baselines Report | Steel Roll Formed Cladding Panels | North America | View Supplier | View EPD |
| 18.6 | CLF 2023 Material Baselines Report | Aluminum Roll Formed Cladding Panels | North America | View Supplier | View EPD |
Want to give us feedback or updates?
Novel Materials
This section highlights innovative, low-carbon alternatives to traditional construction materials, with a focus on bio-based products. These novel solutions offer exciting possibilities for reducing embodied carbon in buildings.Bio-based materials from fast-growing plants are particularly promising. As they grow, these plants capture CO2 through photosynthesis. When used in construction, they store this carbon for decades, effectively delaying its release and buying crucial time in our climate change mitigation efforts.Many of these materials are still in development or early market stages. Where product-specific Type III Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) aren't available, we use proxy EPDs to illustrate their potential.
Below, you'll find a list of promising low-carbon novel materials currently available in BC.
| GWP [kgCO2e/ Unit] | Unit | Product | Notable Product Links | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -31.3 | m2 @RSI1 | Compressed Straw Board - Durra Panel - 50 mm [EU] | View international shipped | View EPD | |
| -13.1 | m2 @RSI1 | Wood fiber board NAFA industry average | View EPD | ||
| -6.7 | m2 @RSI1 | Wood fiber Board - GUTEX - Multi-Therm [EU] | View international shipped | View EPD | |
| -6.1 | m2 @RSI1 | Wood fiber Board - PAVATEX - Pavatherm [EU] | View international shipped | View EPD | |
| -4.3 | m2 @RSI1 | Cork Board Insulation | View | Manufacturer | |
| -5 | m2 @RSI1 | Straw | View | US industry average data | |
| -3 | m2 @RSI1 | Hempcrete | View | US industry average data | |
| -0.1 | m2 @RSI1 | Hemp fibre | View Hemp-works.ca View Terrafibre.ca View Naturefibres.com | View Natural Fibres EPD | |
| 1 | m2 @RSI1 | Sheep's Wool | View | BEAM |
Want to give us feedback or updates?
Key Definitions
Embodied carbon: also referred to as material carbon emissions. This is the upfront carbon associated with constructing a building. In this report, emissions stated are from life-cycle phases A1A3, the material production emissions only. Other life-cycle analysis software often includes phases A1-A5. The additional phases are related to transportation to the construction site as well as the emissions created during construction of the building.
Materials: in this report the word materials is used to mean the individual components that go into building a home, whether that’s an actual material, like wood or steel, or a component like a cladding panel that is made up of a group of materials.
Further Reading
Carbon Leadership Forum
Carbon Smart Materials Palette
KPMB LAB
Building Transparency
References
[1] Magwood, C. and Trottier, M. Nelson Material Carbon Emissions Guide. Builders for Climate Action (2022). https://www.buildersforclimateaction.org/our-work.html
[2] Magwood, C. and Trottier, M. Material Emissions Benchmark Report for Part 9 Homes in Vancouver. Builders for Climate Action (2022). https://www.buildersforclimateaction.org/our-work.html
[3] Lewis, M., Huang, M., Carlisle, S., Simonen, K., AIA-CLF EMBODIED CARBON TOOLKIT FOR ARCHITECTS PT2. Measuring embodied carbon,
[4] King, B., Magwood, C., Build Beyond Zero (2022)
[5] https://www.buildersforclimateaction.org/beam-estimator.html