This guidance is primarily aimed at public procurers involved in a range of contracting agreements related to building materials and products. This includes the purchase of building materials for construction works, but may also extend to material extraction, manufacturing, building, retrofit, refurbishment, design, interior fit out, and end-of-life demolition or deconstruction processes. 

Some Finnish buildings could cut their carbon footprints by as much as 43% – according to research conducted by One Click LCA for the Finnish government – and almost all could make a saving of 28% using easily available decarbonisation strategies.

Construction commenced on this project in 2006, and it was officially opened in 2009, taking a total of 42 months to complete. The concrete piers of this iconic bridge were constructed using 50% Ecocem GGBS, saving thousands of tonnes of CO2 and greatly increasing the bridge's lifespan.

The PA Hemp Home is Pennsylvania’s first total renovation of a residential structure using hemp-based building materials, utilizing breathable spray-applied Hemplime in its walls and HempWood on its floors.  The project, supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture was an honoree of the 2021 Fast Co.

From the Healthy Materials Lab, five case studies profiling affordable housing projects utilising healthier materials.

A collection of case studies from the UK Alliance for Sustainable Building Products, featuring examples building materials and practices with high sustainability credentials.  These include:

With the ÖKOBAUDAT platform, the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) Germany provides all stakeholders with a standardized database for the life cycle assessment of buildings. At the heart of the platform is the online database with life cycle assessment data on building materials, construction, transport, energy and disposal processes. With the help of life cycle assessment tools, such as the eLCA provided by the BBSR, the entire life cycle of a building can be compiled with the ÖKOBAUDAT database.

Building construction materials represent 11% of global carbon emissions and 28% of the annual buildings related CO2 emissions, and yet, the demand for construction materials continues to grow, especially in the rapidly urbanizing Global South. Biomaterials offer a key opportunity for decarbonizing the buildings and construction sector, through transitioning from current linear, extractive, and toxic construction practices towards circular, bio-based, renewable materials and construction methods for a sustainable future.

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of cement. The industry accounts for 13 percent of the country’s total carbon emissions, making it the third largest-emitting industry after power and steel.

Canada's national guidelines for whole-building life cycle assessment.  This document provides comprehensive instruction for the practice of life cycle assessment applied to buildings, based on relevant standards and keyed to various intentions. The goal is to harmonize the practice of whole-building life cycle assessment (wbLCA) across different studies and assist in interpretation of and compliance with relevant standards. This resource can support the development of similar guideline policies in North America and internationally.