Nonprofit to Introduce EC3 2.0 Beta, Launch Membership Program and Expand Open Embodied Carbon Data Globally

SEATTLE, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Building Transparency, a nonprofit organization that provides open-access data and tools to mobilize the construction industry to decarbonize, today announced it will showcase the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) 2.0 at the Greenbuild International Conference + Expo, October 20-23 in New York City. The organization will offer attendees a first look and opportunity to join the EC3 2.0 beta, introduce a new membership program, share progress on its Open Data for Climate Initiative (ODCi) and participate in Greenbuild programming focused on the future of digital material data.

Building Transparency will demonstrate EC3 2.0 at the Autodesk booth (#1137), where attendees can preview the evolving platform and register to join the beta.

"Greenbuild marks an important milestone for Building Transparency as we advance EC3 and the open data infrastructure needed to drive meaningful embodied carbon action," said Alison Kinn Bennett, Executive Director of Building Transparency. "EC3 2.0 builds on years of progress while expanding access to trusted data, strengthening our global reach and engaging the community that relies on these tools every day. We're excited to share what's ahead and invite the industry to help shape this next chapter."

Introducing the Next Generation of EC3

Building Transparency stewards EC3, the world's largest nonprofit-led, open-access platform for construction material life cycle assessment data. It includes 250,000+ Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) representing 200+ material categories and supports 70,000+ registered users, 2,000+ manufacturers and 19,000+ projects across 80+ countries.

EC3 2.0 builds on that foundation as verified, comparable material data becomes increasingly important to design, carbon accounting, building standards and policy. Development of EC3 2.0 is supported by a grant from the ClimateWorks Foundation, with additional funding from Amazon and Google, among many other supporters and partners worldwide.

Enhancements include new data types, improved AI-assisted data quality and ingestion, clearer data-quality indicators, expanded international coverage, modernized Find & Compare Materials and Project Planner and expanded integrations. EC3 2.0 represents a complete rebuild—providing a faster and smoother experience.

"EC3 2.0 is a natural evolution of the platform," said Mark Chen, National Carbon Manager at Skanska. "The experience is streamlined and more intuitive, with new functionality that makes it even easier to use. For existing EC3 users the transition is seamless, but the overall experience is a significant step forward." 

Today's beta release—focused on the Find & Compare Materials portion of the tool—is available to all, with additional data and functionality released in phases. Everyone is invited to experience the platform and help inform its continued development.

Creating a New Way to Support Open Infrastructure

Alongside EC3 2.0 beta, Building Transparency will introduce a new membership program that gives practitioners, manufacturers and organizations that rely on EC3 a direct way to support the infrastructure behind it at a pivotal moment in its evolution. As embodied carbon moves from voluntary leadership toward broader reporting and compliance requirements, the decisions shaping the next generation of open data infrastructure are being made now.

Membership does not change EC3's commitment to neutrality and open access. Core tools and functionality will remain free; membership helps sustain that shared infrastructure while offering recognition, premium features, opportunities to provide input into the roadmap and access to member insights and forums. For organizations that want to support the future of Building Transparency, this is the moment to engage—while EC3 2.0 is moving from beta toward full production and key decisions about the platform's next chapter are still being shaped.

"Reliable, comparable EPD data is the foundation for every low-carbon decision our customers make. We've worked alongside Building Transparency on PCR and EPD initiatives for years and have seen how much the industry depends on EC3," said Shane Mulligan, Manager, Market Solutions and Development, Heidelberg Materials. "Membership is how we invest in keeping that infrastructure open, neutral and growing, and it keeps us engaged as EC3 2.0 evolves."

"Every Buy Clean program we support for governments runs on open EPD data. EC3 is that foundation, and Building Transparency has been a strong partner in keeping it public and reliable," said Taylor Linnell, Co-Founder and CEO, BuiltCold.

Closing the Global Carbon Data Gap

Building Transparency will also share progress on ODCi, the Open Data for Climate Initiative, which addresses a global data gap: many regions lack sufficiently complete and reliable construction product environmental data to support life cycle assessment, policy development and investment decisions.

ODCi is developing methodologically consistent generic life cycle assessment datasets to provide credible baselines where product-specific data is limited or does not yet exist. Its defining feature is a common quality framework: datasets released under ODCi are intended to be independently verified against common guidelines, ensuring consistent quality across regions and data providers. The initiative spans 58 material categories across seven global regions, with the current pilot, funded by the Autodesk Foundation, focused on cement, ready-mix concrete, timber and steel sections.

ODCi's growing network of partners includes ECO Platform and the University of Washington Life Cycle Lab. Following verification, ODCi datasets are intended to be openly available through trusted digital infrastructure, including the ECO Portal and EC3, alongside product-specific EPDs. The framework is designed to grow as additional qualified data providers contribute.

Join Building Transparency at Greenbuild

In addition to EC3 2.0 demonstrations at the Autodesk booth, Building Transparency Executive Director Alison Kinn Bennett will participate in the "In a New York Minute: Innovators Bridging the Digital Materials Divide" session on Tuesday, October 20, part of the "Accelerating the Adoption of Low Embodied Carbon Materials" Summit, which will explore how digital workflows can simplify sustainable product selection, documentation and reporting.

To learn more about Building Transparency and register for the EC3 2.0 beta, visit here.

About Building Transparency

Building Transparency is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides open-access data and tools that support broad and swift action across the architectural, engineering and construction industries in addressing embodied carbon's role in climate change. Formed in 2020, Building Transparency hosts, manages and maintains the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3), which provides thousands of digitized EPDs in a free, open-access database alongside powerful "Find and Compare" and "Project Planner" tools used by both the public and private sectors in decarbonizing buildings and infrastructure. Building Transparency strives to provide the global data and tools needed to shape a better building future.

Media Contact
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kronna@trevelinokeller.com 

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SOURCE Building Transparency