California Air Resources Board

Principal Investigator/Authors: Arpad Horvath

Contractor: University of California, Berkeley

Sub-contractors: University of California, Davis

Contract Number: 23STC019

Project Status: Active

Relevant CARB programs: Building Decarbonization, Embodied Carbon

Topic areas: Construction & Earth Moving Equipment, Consumer Products, Climate Change, Industry & Manufacturing

Research Summary:

This project aims to 1) evaluate the technical feasibility and market readiness of key low-carbon construction materials in California, 2) examine and compare the life-cycle costs of conventional construction materials and their low-carbon alternatives along with their environmental impacts and overall cost-effectiveness, 3) develop a framework that will allow CARB to evaluate new materials and compare them to conventional choices, and 4) analyze the feasibility of a range of policy strategies to reduce embodied carbon in building materials and provide recommendations to CARB on which strategies are most likely to be effective in achieving the AB 2446 and AB 43’s goals. The Contractor will synthesize academic literature, industry reports, and government reports. To supplement the review, the Contractor will engage with selected stakeholders to gain insights that might not yet be publicly documented.

Keywords: embodied carbon, building materials, building decarbonization, climate change, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, construction