(May 14, 2026)
CECC GWP BUDGET TARGETS 2026
CECC has developed GWP targets for multiple building types based on the Carbon Leadership Forum publication entitled: “The Embodied Carbon Benchmark Report” (v2), published in 2025. The CLF benchmarks were published in the table shown below:
TABLE 1. Summary of embodied carbon budgets (ECBs) based on 75th, 50th, and 25th percentiles. SE scope corresponds to foundations, structure and enclosure, with SEI also adding interiors. Life cycle stages are indicated by (A1-A3, A1-A5, A-C without A5, and A-C with A5), where A-C in this report indicates A1-A3, A4, B4-B5, and C2-C4. Units are kgCO2e/m2 normalized by gross floor area (GFA). Values in this table were rounded upward to 10.
CECC GWP TARGETS
SCOPE AND LIFE CYCLE STAGES USED
For the purpose of establishing CECC GWP targets, the initial LCA basis was defined as having a scope of Structural, Enclosure, and Interiors (SEI), and Life Cycle phases of A1 - A3. This LCA basis was selected to reflect the current state of LCA practices in order to encourage the number of LCA submittals - these scope and phase assumptions may be modified in future years.
EMBODIED CARBON BUDGET
Submitting firms are challenged to demonstrate that the embodied carbon intensity of their projects is below the limits in Table 2 below. The 50th percentile (“Typical”) value type from the CLF table above was selected for the CECC targets. This follows the guidelines provided in section 3.2 of The Embodied Carbon Benchmark Report by CLF.
TABLE 2. CECC GWP TARGETS
LEGEND
Bold =From Table 6, Reference [1]
Bold = From Figure 7, Reference [1]
Normal = Derived from information in References [1], [2], [3]
REFERENCES
[1] The Embodied Carbon Benchmark Report, CLF, 2025
[2] Embodied Carbon Benchmarking Report, Perkins&Will, 2025
[3] CECC internal data sources
SUBMITTAL STEPS
Download the LCA Report Form:
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