Avoided Emissions in the Built Environment

The built environment accounts for about 40% of global CO₂ emissions, making it a critical sector for climate action. This new WBCSD sector guidance, Avoided Emissions in the Built Environment, provides tailored, sector-specific methodologies to help companies credibly assess, claim, and scale solutions that avoid emissions across the built environment value chain.

Who is it for?

This guidance is designed for sustainability teams, R&D, finance, sales, marketing, and communications professionals in the built environment sector—including design, construction, materials and equipment manufacturers, real estate, and building management. It is also relevant for investors and policymakers aiming to reliably assess and compare the impact of low-carbon interventions

Why read it?

• Understand how to define, scope, validate, and leverage avoided emissions (AE) claims in your sector.
• Access six practical case studies that provide solution-specific AE assessment guidance, including: thermal glazing, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, low-carbon concrete in floor slab design, building management systems, recycled materials, and solar PV with battery storage.
• Learn how to integrate AE thinking into business strategy, product development, marketing, public relations, and financing to boost competitiveness and strengthen the business case for low-carbon innovation.
• Harmonize your approach with the latest science and sectoral best practices.

By reliably measuring and communicating avoided emissions, companies can unlock market and financing opportunities, demonstrate climate leadership, and align with global decarbonization goals. This guidance empowers you to leverage AE for competitive advantage, innovation, and sustainable finance.

This document complements the Guidance on Avoided Emissions v2.0: Drive Innovations and Scale Solutions Toward Net Zero, which provides a cross-sectoral framework for AE assessment.