Webcor Builders First to Submit Greenhouse Gas Emissions to World Resources Institute

Webcor Also First to “Road Test” Global Standard for World Business Council for Sustainable Development

SAN FRANCISCO — Webcor Builders today announced that it is the first company to submit its complete supply chain greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the World Resources Institute. It also reported its emissions to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) as one of 60 major corporations selected to “road test” the new GHG standard.

“Construction materials are now part of the global economy, influenced by multinational corporations that will require consistent global GHG standards”

The presentation was made recently at the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product/Supply Chain Initiative Scope 3 Road Testing Workshop in Washington, D.C..

Companies testing the standard for the WBCSD include IBM, Coca-Cola, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Pfizer and others. The effort is designed to develop an accounting framework for individual products for their complete life cycles and for corporations across their value chains.

As the largest commercial general contractor in California and the 13th largest in the nation, Webcor is providing extensive real-time data and functionality input to further shape the global standard that will impact the carbon accounting standards for a wide range of industries, including construction materials and processes. It is estimated that the built environment accounts for 51 percent of the total energy consumption in the United States. (Annual recurring building operations account for 39 percent and the direct manufacture of construction materials account for the remaining 12 percent).

To date, there has been no effective methodology by which to capture what is called Scope 3 emissions — the significant amount of GHG emissions associated with a company's suppliers, products and after-market supply chains. The WRI-WBCSD accounting emissions standard will allow companies to more uniformly and consistently identify, report and then reduce the total embodied carbon impact across their corporate value chains, including outsourced activities and supplier manufacturing.

“The current lack of data regarding the carbon footprint of the construction supply chain — such as steel, glass, carpet, concrete and other materials — presents a significant opportunity for the building design and construction industry to better understand construction activities and design choices,” said Phil Williams, Webcor Vice President of Technical Systems and Sustainability. “Webcor is elevating the metrics of the construction industry to include a more complete measurement of the environmental performance of our buildings just as we are measured today on cost and quality.”

“As we move to more energy efficient buildings — very soon net-zero energy buildings — the impact of GHGs produced through materials manufacturing will take on greater and greater importance,” Williams added. “Accurate emissions accounting procedures and the resultant material GHG ratings will provide new green technology products, as well as traditional construction materials.”

Williams said the GHG standards and accounting procedures will provide the means for building owners and designers to rank and evaluate construction specifications and purchasing decisions.

“Construction materials are now part of the global economy, influenced by multinational corporations that will require consistent global GHG standards,” Williams said.

In 2009, Webcor partnered with Climate Earth to identify and capture the GHG impact across all of its projects" construction materials impact throughout their supply chains — from material extraction to installation to end-of-life. The results of Webcor's comprehensive GHG accounting were eye-opening. Operational emissions from their everyday business activities represented only 0.4% of their GHG emissions, while 99.6% came from its building materials supply chain.

As a consequence of its effort, Webcor became the first construction industry member of the California Climate Action Registry to report its comprehensive Scopes, 1, 2, and 3 supply chain carbon footprints in 2009. After being recognized as the first general contractor to report its operational GHG emissions to the Registry, Webcor was invited to be a “road tester” for WRI/WBCSD.