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State agencies, counties and climate groups push SBCC to adopt voluntary embodied-carbon appendix
Summary
Multiple state and regional climate offices, nonprofits and counties urged SBCC to adopt a voluntary embodied-carbon code appendix (Appendix S/Appendix Q), favoring whole-building life-cycle assessment pathways and flexible compliance options to spur lower-carbon materials while preserving local choice.
Representatives from the Washington Department of Commerce, King County, the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF), New Buildings Institute (NBI), and Climate Solutions told the SBCC they support adoption of an optional embodied-carbon appendix to the 2024 IBC.
Hannah Waterstrat, director of the State Efficiency and Environmental Performance Office at the Washington Department of Commerce, said the proposed amendments (24GP1118R4 and related provisions) would give local jurisdictions the option to require reporting on embodied carbon for large projects and “provide local jurisdictions and builders the most flexibility to achieve embodied carbon reductions.” Megan Lewis of the Carbon Leadership Forum cited research finding that roughly one-third of building emissions come from materials and said voluntary code pathways with waivers make early adoption feasible for jurisdictions and project teams. Ariel Brenner of the New Buildings Institute and Deepa Subrajan of Climate Solutions also urged adoption, with Subrajan recommending stronger EV and embodied-carbon coordination in submitted written comments and testimony.
