10 Low Embodied Carbon Building Materials You Should Consider

Explore 10 lower embodied carbon building materials and learn what Australian project teams should verify before specifying concrete, timber, insulation, steel and reclaimed products.

37% of annual global carbon emissions come from buildings - this number is composed of embodied and operational carbon . Embodied Carbon , the sourcing and manufacturing of materials and products contribute significantly to the changing climate. Carbon emissions within the building industry used…
Low Embodied Carbon Building Materials in Construction

Low - carbon building materials include materials with low embodied energy and carbon emissions throughout their production, assembly, and transportation. The definition of what constitutes low - carbon materials varies from person to person.
31% of global carbon emissions come from making things - which means that manufacturing materials and products contribute significantly to the changing climate. Until recently, most attention on carbon emissions within the building industry focused on energy consumption from operating buildings once...

Sustainable Building Materials for Low Embodied Carbon
Sustainable Building Materials for Low Embodied Carbon Here are eight of the most carbon -friendly products for roofing, cladding, insulation, and other categories—all of which are available for specification, or soon to be.
A 2021 analysis demonstrated that applying low -cost embodied carbon solutions could result in 19 to 46 percent emissions reductions at cost premiums of less than 1 percent. A modern construction site showcasing eco friendly building materials including mass timber and recycled steel.

PDF Embodied Carbon Reduction in New Construction
Substantial improvements have been made to reduce operational carbon emissions of buildings through efficiency and electrification. However, to achieve low - carbon new construction buildings , increased efforts to reduce the embodied carbon of buildings are needed. Embodied carbon emissions in buildings come primarily from the manufacturing of building envelope materials such as concrete, steel ...
Why do embodied emissions Matter? The infrastructure sector represents a significant portion of the global GHG emissions. Out of this sector's GHG emissions, at least 11 percent9 result from embodied carbon associated with construction materials such as asphalt mixture, concrete, glass, and steel. 10 Traditionally, construction materials produce significant embodied carbon emissions due to ...

Sustainable Building Materials
Compare 10 sustainable building materials — CLT, hempcrete, recycled steel, green concrete, mycelium, and more. Real cost data, embodied carbon figures, and LEED certification guidance for builders and homeowners in 2026.







Using the Construction Material Pyramid, note that healthier materials options with biogenic properties tend to have lower embodied carbon and are at the bottom of the pyramid compared to synthetics chemical and energy-intensive metals at the top.