EC3 2.0: Modernizing Open Infrastructure for Embodied Carbon
EC3 is entering its next chapter — and we want you to be part of it.
Table Of Content
Why EC3 2.0, and Why Now
Embodied carbon accounting is rapidly moving from voluntary leadership to regulatory and market infrastructure.
Policies such as Buy Clean procurement programs, Scope 3 reporting requirements, building codes, and Digital Product Passport initiatives are embedding product-level environmental data into compliance systems around the world.
EC3 enters this next chapter from a position of strength:
- 200,000+ verified EPDs in the EC3 database
- 2,000+ manufacturers represented globally
- 85 countries contributing environmental product data
- 4,500 new EPDs added in the last 6 months
- Expanded coverage across European markets
- Deeper integrations with Tally and Autodesk Construction Cloud
EC3 2.0 is that evolution.
Rather than competing feature-for-feature with commercial tools, EC3 2.0 strengthens Building Transparency’s role as the neutral, nonprofit backbone supporting governments, enterprises, researchers, and software platforms. Decarbonizing the built environment requires shared infrastructure — not competing methods and fragmented databases.
What EC3 2.0 Will Include
🏗️ Cloud-Agnostic Architecture
Transitioning to a modern, cloud-agnostic backend to increase resilience, support regional data governance requirements, and enable enterprise and governmental adoption without vendor lock-in.
🤖 AI-Enabled Data Quality
AI-assisted validation and anomaly detection to improve metadata consistency, schema harmonization, and comparability across jurisdictions — scaling global data ingestion while reducing manual bottlenecks.
🌍 Expanded Global EPD Coverage
Enhanced integration across international Program Operators and schema variations to reduce duplicative reporting burdens, support policy implementation, and enable more equitable global market participation.
🔍 Improved Find & Compare
A full UI/UX redesign for clarity and speed, with better filters, statistics, and material insights — reducing barriers to entry and supporting long-term decision-making that drives down carbon.
📐 Assembly Builder & Project Planner
Rebuilt workflow tools for calculating material quantities and project-level embodied carbon across full life cycle stages, with expanded APIs for seamless integration into BIM systems, estimating tools, and enterprise platforms.
📊 Broader Environmental Impact Categories
Better surfacing of additional impact indicators already embedded in EPD data — including toxicity, water use, and recycled content — to align with evolving procurement and biodiversity requirements.
What Our Community Said
In February 2026, we held four community feedback sessions to hear directly from users, developers, manufacturers, and policymakers about EC3’s strengths, gaps, and priorities.
The depth of engagement exceeded our expectations — and your input is directly shaping the EC3 2.0 roadmap.
All session recordings are now available:
- 🎥 Session 1 — Overview & Platform Foundation (Feb 17) | Watch Here
- 🎥 Session 2 — EPD Ecosystem: Sourcing, Quality & Management (Feb 18) | Watch Here
- 🎥 Session 3 — Project Planner, Assemblies & Workflows (Feb 23) | Watch Here
- 🎥 Session 4 — API, Integrations & Developer Experience (Feb 26) | Watch Here
A consolidated slide deck is available here📒.
Go Deeper: Behind the Data
Curious what it actually takes to maintain a database of 200,000+ EPDs? Our Technical Director, Vaclav, recently pulled back the curtain on EC3’s data operations — from AI-powered PDF parsing and automated quality checks to GWP interpretation and version management.
Support This Work
Sustaining open, neutral embodied carbon infrastructure depends on people who believe EPD data should be a global public good.
💚 Become a Supporter
Make a charitable contribution directed toward data quality, global expansion, project workflows, or core platform infrastructure.
🤝 Become a Partner
If your organization generates EPDs, builds software, or manages a large construction portfolio, a fee-for-service partnership — including API licensing, enterprise instances, and software integrations — may be the right fit.
Why This Investment Matters
If neutral, interoperable systems are not strengthened now, proprietary fragmentation risks becoming entrenched — increasing long-term policy costs and reducing transparency across the market. EC3 2.0 is a timely opportunity to reinforce the public-interest backbone of embodied carbon accountability at the moment when governments, corporations, and markets are actively building around it.
Open. Trusted. Globally aligned. That’s what EC3 2.0 is for.
Shape What Comes Next
EC3 2.0 is a community effort. There are several ways to stay engaged:
🧪 Join the Beta Testing Group: Interested in testing EC3 2.0 features before they go live?
We’re assembling a standing beta group now.
contact-us@buildingtransparency.org
📋 Serve on the EC3 Advisory Board: We’re forming an advisory board for quarterly milestone reviews and feedback cycles.
contact-us@buildingtransparency.org
Your input directly shapes the EC3 2.0 roadmap. It takes about ten minutes, and every response matters.
Fill out the form to contact us
