The EC3 tool is a free web platform that enables people in the building industry to evaluate the carbon emissions associated with the manufacture of building materials. The 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. The EC3 tool relies on sophisticated, research-based methodologies to support the analysis and representation of the carbon footprint of common building materials and introduces a digital EPD to make it easy to accurately compare similar materials.
Architects can use the tool to understand how they can specify products to reduce embodied carbon, builders can identify low carbon suppliers, and design teams and owners can set embodied carbon reduction targets with the help of the tool. In short, the EC3 tool makes it easier for those in the building industry to select materials that will lower the carbon footprint of their projects.