Selecting the lowest carbon-emitting products across a building’s material portfolio could reduce emissions by more than one-third, according to new global findings. However, the absence of regulations for advancing life cycle assessment (LCA) practices and a lack of manufacturer environmental product declarations (EPDs) remain core obstacles for further progress.
The 2025 Carbon Experts Report, from construction life-cycle assessment software provider, One Click LCA, gathered insights from 150 architects, engineers and construction (AEC) professionals across the world (mainly in Europe and the UK & Ireland, with 10 per cent in North America), along with associated manufacturers.
Carbon reduction potential
More than 60 per cent of AEC respondents estimated at least a 10 per cent reduction in embodied carbon through LCAs, with a third predicting reductions exceeding 20 per cent. Thirty-one per cent have already successfully reduced embodied carbon by up to 20 per cent through LCA use, while 23 per cent have achieved reductions of up to 30 per cent. The majority of AEC professionals also conveyed that EPDs heavily influence their material purchasing decisions in building projects. This sentiment was highest in Europe and the UK & Ireland.
According to Gensler’s European Sustainability Lead Matt Reading, carbon transparency is key to reducing embodied emissions in building projects. “Builders, architects, and developers must understand the carbon profiles of materials to make informed decisions,” he states. “EPDs offer reliable data to assess material impacts, allowing project teams to compare and select low-carbon options effectively.”
The report also revealed obstacles in the journey toward decarbonization. Implementing consistent carbon reduction strategies across projects and regions remains challenging with great variations in national and local regulations and a lack of clear and consistent policies. While Europe advances with the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the Construction Products Regulation, other regions haven’t been as diligent with policy development.
Panu Pasanen, founder and CEO of One Click LCA, said this fragmentation poses significant challenges to decarbonization efforts but offers opportunities for knowledge sharing, industry leadership and policy harmonization.
“We hope these findings serve as a call to action for the industry and regulators,” he said. “We are now at a tipping point where technology, market demand, and regulations are coming together to speed up sustainable practices across the construction value chain.”
Factors hindering EPD progress for manufacturers
Manufacturers see EPDs as a competitive edge, critical to their long-term survival. However, more than 80 per said they continue to grapple with the high costs and complexity of creating EPD data and third-party verification. Many also struggle with the technical requirements of producing them. A lack of training continues to be a significant barrier as well. The fragmentation of this data makes adopting LCA and EPD practices even more complicated, hinting at a need for greater carbon and data transparency between the demand and supply sides.
Barriers to EPD adoption for AEC industry
The data underscores that the lack and variable quality of manufacturer EPDs are huge barriers to their broader adoption. All the AEC respondents in North America identified the absence of EPDs as a limiting factor.
Data gaps in material categories
Manufacturers flagged data gaps in several material categories (such as cements and binders), which require accuracy for informed decision-making.
For instance, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems involve complex assemblies with mixed materials, which demand detailed data to facilitate better integration with life cycle assessments. Insulation also plays a key role in energy efficiency, yet data gaps can hinder evaluations of thermal performance and environmental impacts.
Meanwhile, a portion of manufacturers (36 per cent) noted a need for better product data across all material categories, suggesting a systemic issue where a lack of detailed environmental data spans the entire supply chain rather than being isolated to specific materials. “Addressing these gaps holistically could enhance transparency and foster innovation in sustainable construction fractions,” the report states.
Bridging the regulatory gap
A regulatory gap impedes both supply and demand. While manufacturers face uncertainty regarding compliance requirements, AEC professionals lack a consistent framework for requiring EPDs in procurement. Regional disparities in policy development are further complicating standardization, leading to barriers to wider LCA adoption.
To strengthen municipal and regional initiatives, the report suggests leveraging public procurement, such as the Buy Clean policies implemented in Vancouver and New York, which prioritize low-embodied carbon materials. Other strategies involve expanding local benchmarks and embodied carbon targets and scaling successful regional policies to national levels.
To incentivize industry compliance and innovation, building permits can be tied to carbon reporting. To ease cost burdens, financial incentives can be expanded for manufacturers to produce EPDs and verified low-carbon materials.
Promoting digitization and automation also emerged as a path to support manufacturers with the complexity of creating EPDs. Manufacturers listed LCA automation and other software tools as the biggest time-saver for assessments, followed by greater knowledge, data accessibility and a more LCA-trained workforce.
To learn more, the 2025 Carbon Experts Report can be accessed here.
