Ottawa to create database of “low-carbon assets”

The National Research Council of Canada is holding meetings to research life cycle analyses in building products with a view to eventually creating a centralized database noting the LCA ratings of various products. The stated purpose is to make a “fair comparison” of projects possible.

It’s called the “Low-carbon assets through life cycle assessment initiative.”

Life cycle analysis attempts to measure the total carbon impact of a product from cradle to grave, including all the emissions created by manufacturing, transporting, installing, using then disposing of the product. Broader LCAs also look at things like toxicity, radioactivity, contribution to environmental acidity and other factors. Determining the LCAs of building products is considered important to making effective climate change regulations, since a product that may contribute to energy efficiency in a building, but requires excessive amounts of carbon emissions to supply, might be less desirable than a less-efficient product with a better LCA.

Passive House Canada recently announced that one of its instructors would be joining the initiative’s technical working group.