Façade embodied carbon is now a decisive design variable & the data shows it can be reduced at scale
At the 2025 Carbon Experts Summit in London, Hydro Building Systems France and TECHNAL shared how product-level LCA and verified EPD data are enabling substantial reductions in aluminum façade embodied carbon across real projects.
By assessing aluminum options early and using high-recycled-content grades such as Hydro CIRCAL® 75R and 100R, project teams can achieve 80–95% lower embodied carbon than conventional primary aluminum, based on verified life-cycle data.
When applied at the system level, LCA comparisons show that optimized aluminum façade solutions can achieve up to ~50% lower embodied carbon per m² in assessed scenarios, relative to typical aluminum façade benchmarks — without relying on offsets or future assumptions.
This matters because façades are increasingly carbon-intensive elements of buildings, especially as operational emissions decline with grid decarbonization. Carbon locked in at the specification stage is carbon that cannot be removed later.
The takeaway for the built environment:
Embodied carbon reductions at this scale are already achievable — but only when decisions are made at the early design stage and guided by transparent, product-level LCA data.
#EmbodiedCarbon #LifeCycleAssessment #LCA #EPD
EPDs are becoming increasingly mandatory for manufacturers supplying the construction sector. Designers, engineers, and contractors now rely on verified product data to reduce their embodied carbon footprint and meet emerging regulatory requirements worldwide.
The challenge is familiar: creating EPDs can be slow, expensive, and difficult to scale across a full product portfolio.
One Click LCA streamlines this process. Manufacturers use our tools to produce EPDs at scale — reducing manual work, improving data quality, and meeting the growing demand from AEC specifiers.
If you need a practical starting point, talk to us:
One Click LCA integration with Bentley Systems is now showcased in the Bentley Ecosystem Catalog.
Bentley Systems users can now find One Click LCA’s life-cycle assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) software in the catalog — supporting carbon accounting, compliance, and sustainability reporting across construction and manufacturing.
A third-party verified, published, EN 15804 +A2 / ISO 21930-compliant EPD gets you a long way. Here’s what to expect in the process:
1. Standards:
• Most European EPD program operators require EN 15804+A2 for construction product EPDs. The revised EU CPR applies from 8 Jan 2026 and establishes mandatory environmental-performance declarations and a digital product passport via future harmonised specs and delegated acts; it does not directly mandate EN 15804+A2. The regulation is to phase in implementation for prioritized product categories once the relevant harmonized technical specification applies.
• For products outside the CPR scope, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) provides a parallel framework to impose lifecycle/DPP requirements by product-specific delegated acts.
• Beyond Europe, many regions follow ISO 21930, while the US and Canada rely on ISO 21930 and ISO 14040/44, which underpin both frameworks.
2. Upstream database: Most markets accept EPDs created using an upstream database, but exceptions apply. Some limited cases specify which inventory data can be used. These are discussed below.
3. Cost: The cost of your EPD creation varies greatly based on your EPD strategy. See image for cost breakdown. If you do a great deal of national variants for your EPDs, your costs will go markedly upwards. One Click LCA EPD generators reduce these costs by a significant factor, and the end-to end verified EPD generators reduce it to below one tenth. If you want to find out how to optimize the value and cost of your EPDs, we can help design your EPD strategy.
4. Verification: EPDs in Europe follow the third-party verification principles of ISO 14025, which requires independent review of both LCA data and the declaration. This is legally mandated in some countries and applied through programme or database rules elsewhere. In some markets, verification is interpreted more loosely as tool or dataset validation.
5. Publishing: Most markets accept EPDs from multiple recognized EPD program operators, but regulatory databases may impose acceptance criteria.
New sustainability regulations raise the bar for global construction — One Click LCA launches new digital solutions to turn regulatory requirements into growth opportunities
Today, One Click LCA has released a new set of tools that help architects, engineers, construction companies, and materials manufacturers comply with the several new sustainability regulations that come into effect from 2026 onwards.
The launch comes at a time when the industry is scrambling to remain compliant and competitive, as sustainability requirements and certification standards are being raised across Europe and North America.
In the European Union:
- The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) will require life-cycle carbon disclosure for new buildings through Energy Performance Certificates.
- The revised Construction Products Regulation (CPR) will make verified carbon disclosure mandatory for construction products placed on the EU market.
- The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will impose verified carbon reporting obligations on imports of carbon-intensive building materials.
At the same time, international certification systems such as LEED v5, BREEAM v7, and the RICS Whole Life Carbon standard v2 are raising carbon performance requirements across global projects.
“Carbon compliance isn’t a future concern — it is already reshaping design, procurement, and approvals. One Click LCA’s new solutions address urgent needs we hear from our customers in construction and manufacturing, with compliance under the new regulatory framework being top of mind throughout their operations, from the early design to the portfolio-level reporting required under the new regulatory framework,” says Panu Pasanen, CEO and Founder of One Click LCA. “Compliance is no longer optional, and those who adapt to the new regulatory landscape early will be the ones who come out ahead,” he continues.
One Click LCA’s latest release delivers compliance-ready digital solutions that help the industry handle the new regulatory reality. Read our press release: /
Breaking news: SimaPro & PRé are now part of One Click LCA — forming the leading sustainability platform across industries — combining scientific rigor and easy-to-use tools to drive carbon reduction globally.
The joint platform now includes the world’s largest LCA database, with +500,000 datasets across construction, manufacturing supply chains, chemicals, and other sectors.
“This is a pivotal moment in scaling the use of LCA,” says Panu Pasanen, CEO & Founder of One Click LCA. “SimaPro has set the benchmark for transparency in LCA for 30 years, while One Click LCA has focused on making LCA scalable, accessible, and actionable. By joining forces, we can meet the growing global demand for high-quality sustainability data — from research labs to global supply chains — and accelerate progress toward a zero-carbon future."
The combined platform brings together SimaPro’s science-based LCA modelling with One Click LCA’s automation, scalability, and integrations. Together, +500,000 LCA datasets support +140 global standards and methods, serving users in +170 countries.
#OneClickLCAxSimaPro #oneclicklca #simapro #LifeCycleAssessment #LCA
One Click LCA now integrates the Carbon Minds database
Manufacturers and LCA/EPD professionals working with complex material flows can now access over 100,000 LCI datasets for chemicals, plastics, and industrial processes directly within One Click LCA.
This integration brings significant added value for creating regionally specific and third-party-verified environmental product declarations (EPDs), especially where high-resolution, geographically granular data is required.
“The integration of Carbon Minds data into One Click LCA has been eagerly awaited by our customers, and I’m thrilled to announce this collaboration. With just a few clicks, users can now access over 100,000 LCI datasets for chemicals and plastics — featuring unmatched country- and factory-level granularity — empowering them to create more accurate and regionally specific EPDs than ever before.”
— Jani Tierala, Head of Data at One Click LCA
This collaboration supports data transparency, traceability, and compliance with key standards.
If you're conducting LCAs or creating EPDs involving chemical or plastic inputs, this new resource is now at your fingertips.
Carbon assessments shouldn’t require detective work.
That’s how Dijon Marples-Wall, Senior Carbon Consultant at Pick Everard, described the reality of many projects today.
In a panel on supply-chain carbon transparency at the One Click LCA Summer Sustainability Summit 2025, he explained how the lack of reliable, third-party verified EPDs forces consultants to fill critical data gaps manually, slowing assessments, reducing traceability, and undermining audit readiness.
Poor-quality EPDs and unmeasured quantity data both create friction. But when manufacturers provide verified, structured environmental data, it streamlines analysis and improves accountability across the project lifecycle.
High-quality EPDs aren’t just a procurement requirement. They’re essential infrastructure for doing carbon work properly.
#EmbodiedCarbon #EPDs #CarbonAccounting #Sustainability #Construction #Decarbonization #LCA #OneClickLCA #BSI #CarbonAssessment #SupplyChainData
Reducing embodied carbon in UK construction: New recommendations from MHCLG and AECOM
The UK construction industry is at a turning point. While operational energy has long been the focus for regulations, embodied carbon — the emissions from materials and construction processes — needs to be given the same level of attention. A landmark AECOM-led report commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government(MHCLG) makes it clear: addressing embodied carbon is essential for achieving the UK’s 2050 Net Zero goals.
Key recommendations from the report:
- Standardise assessments: Develop a nationally recognised reporting structure aligned with BS EN 15978 and BS EN 17472.
- Close data gaps: Establish a central UK carbon dataset and increase manufacturer EPD adoption.
- Verify tools: Implement third-party verification for carbon assessment tools to improve trust and comparability.
- Support innovation: Reduce barriers to low-carbon materials, expand training, and update codes to accelerate uptake.
- Scale skills & capacity: Define competencies for carbon assessors and fund training pathways to build sector-wide expertise.
With the world’s largest construction carbon database (300,000+ verified data points) and tools like Carbon Designer 3D and EPD Generator, One Click LCA helps architects, manufacturers, and contractors:
- Deliver consistent, standardised embodied carbon assessments.
- Fill critical data gaps with verified product and generic values.
- Prepare for future regulation with credible, benchmarkable reporting.
The path to Net Zero is clear — and it starts with making embodied carbon a priority.
#EmbodiedCarbon #NetZero #Construction #Decarbonisation #OneClickLCA
Progress doesn’t always make headlines.
Controversial files like the EU Omnibus Directive attract media attention. But they don’t define the pace of change.
As Panu Pasanen, CEO of One Click LCA, pointed out during the EU competitiveness session at the Summer Sustainability Summit 2025, most decarbonization progress is being driven by quiet, technical regulation.
Revisions to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). New product standards that mandate durability and resource efficiency. National laws that implement EU directives, step by step.
These don’t trend on social media. But they shape how buildings are designed, how products are manufactured, and how carbon is measured and reduced.
The market is moving — just not always where the spotlight is.
#EURegulation #GreenDeal #Sustainability #EmbodiedCarbon #ClimatePolicy #Decarbonization #EPBD #OneClickLCA #LCA #EPDs #CircularEconomy
Calls to ‘streamline’ sustainability regulation often sound pragmatic, but they risk undermining the EU Green Deal at its foundation.
That was the warning from Céline Carré, Head of European Public Affairs at @saintgobaingroup , speaking at the One Click LCA Summer Sustainability Summit 2025.
She compared the EU policy framework to the Sagrada Familia: complex, ambitious, and not something to tamper with at the base. Reopening core files like the Energy Efficiency Directive could stall investment and delay national implementation just as the clock is running out to meet 2030 targets.
Regulation isn’t just reporting. It’s what signals market demand, unlocks financing, and drives project delivery — especially at the local level. Undermine that architecture, and the entire system slows down.
#EURegulation #GreenDeal #Sustainability #EnergyEfficiency #CSRD #EmbodiedCarbon #ClimatePolicy #Decarbonization #OneClickLCA #SaintGobain #EPDs #LCA
How can AEC professionals drive demand for carbon data? Through coordinated advocacy.
Brightworks Sustainability has seen how architects are accelerating product transparency by working together. After issuing joint requests for EPDs, firms have triggered measurable responses from manufacturers.
Small coalitions are now shaping supply chains. When specifiers signal demand clearly and consistently, manufacturers respond by publishing the verified data needed to inform low-carbon design.
EPDs are increasingly the entry point for materials to be considered in early-stage design.
#EPDs #EmbodiedCarbon #Sustainability #Architecture #Construction #LCA #Decarbonization #Materials #OneClickLCA
