Trane Technologies Moves to Reduce Embodied Carbon by 40% by 2030

Trane Technologies has announced a commitment to reduce embodied carbon by 40% by 2030, an industry first. Building on its leadership in sourcing more sustainable solutions like low-carbon steel, Trane Technologies will focus its efforts on partnering with suppliers of materials used in buildings and building equipment including steel, aluminum, copper and refrigerants, while continuing to incorporate circular design criteria into its product development projects.

Buildings are currently responsible for 40% of global energy related carbon emissions. A critical step in lowering the overall carbon footprint of buildings is to reduce their amount of embodied carbon, which is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product’s lifecycle, including the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation and recycling of materials and products.

“To create a more sustainable world, we must address emissions from the built environment – everything from reducing embodied carbon to the electrification of heating to optimizing energy with digital solutions,” said Dave Regnery, chair and CEO of Trane Technologies. “Bridging operational and embodied carbon is a vital prerequisite for decarbonizing the built environment, and HVAC systems play a crucial role in our shared vision for a net-zero future,” said Diane Holdorf, executive vice president, Pathways, World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Global initiative

The new embodied carbon commitment aligns with guidance from global nonprofit building sector organizations. It builds on the company’s 2030 Sustainability Commitments, with a baseline year of 2019, including the Gigaton Challenge, a pledge to reduce customer greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion metric tons (or, one gigaton) — the largest science-based climate commitment of any global company related to product emission reductions within a single decade. The company has also pledged to be net-zero by 2050, and its near and long-term emissions reduction targets have been externally validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).