EC3 Tool

BASF is a proud pilot partner of the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (“EC3”) tool

More than 30 building industry leaders have partnered to launch the EC3 tool, which is designed to easily calculate the carbon emissions of materials used in construction. As a company committed to reducing emissions, we’re proud to say BASF Neopor® GPS insulation is a product that will help make a difference in this effort.

  • CO2 emissions remain an issue

Did you know that buildings create 40% of the world’s CO2 emissions? Significant work has happened over the last 30 years to tackle this problem in terms of the energy required to operate buildings, but now it’s time to tackle embodied carbon.

  • What is embodied carbon?

Embodied carbon is the carbon dioxide emitted during the manufacturing, transportation and installation of building materials. It’s estimated that between now and 2060, the amount of building floorspace in the world will double. At least half of the carbon footprint of these new buildings will take the form of embodied carbon.

  • You can’t manage what you can’t measure

Developed under the leadership of the Carbon Leadership Forum and in collaboration with Skanska and key development partner C-Change Labs, the EC3 tool is a free resource that helps architects, engineers, specifiers and building owners evaluate and reduce the embodied carbon impact of building products.

The EC3 tool accesses an open source database of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for thousands of building materials from suppliers across the industry. It allows users to search by material performance, location and carbon intensity, making it easy to accurately compare the carbon footprints of materials.


How do BASF as a company and Neopor as a building product reduce carbon?

BASF cares about our planet

At BASF, we contribute to a world that provides a viable future with enhanced quality of life for everyone. We are committed to economically efficient and ecologically effective global climate protection for our company and our customers. In late 2018, we announced that we were committing to keeping our greenhouse gas emissions at 2018 level until 2030 — even as we target significant annual production growth. That’s one of the reasons we are proud to be a pilot partner in the development of the EC3 tool. It’s also why we advocate for a holistic view of carbon emissions in the building industry. Embodied carbon is important, but so are the emissions that result from other aspects of a building project, from design to demolition.


Neopor GPS can reduce operational and embodied carbon

Neopor GPS is a graphite polystyrene (GPS) rigid foam insulation that provides maximum efficiency, cost-effectiveness and sustainability on construction projects because it uses up to 30% less material than alternative products. It also does not have the high global warming potential found in HFC blowing agents — an important factor in reducing the embodied carbon of the product.

The carbon footprint of a building begins during the design phase, and Neopor GPS is a great solution for planners, architects and builders. Neopor GPS is GreenGuard Gold certified and has been referenced by both the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Building Rating System.

Learn more about the EC3 tool and how Neopor fits its mission, read this FAQ.

Read the full press release here.