Embodied carbon regulations

I'm often asked for a simple one-slide graphic that shows current trends in the regulation of embodied carbon in European buildings. Above is a simplified summary with hover links where you can read about each regulation. For a much more detailed but less current overview and comparison see this report from October 2022 or this one for cities or this overview of Nordic countries. Please email me with any corrections or suggestions to improve the graphic. My goal is to keep the graphic simple enough that a non-specialist policy maker can understand it with a brief explanation and to keep it up to date enough that anyone can bookmark it, export a png using the save icon, and drop it into a slide deck when needed.

Some caveats

The limit reduction percentages shown above are a simplification, as many jurisdictions will differentiate current and future limits by building typology. For example, France's thresholds differentiate between 'individual and terraced housing' and 'apartments', with differing kgCO2e/m2 current and future limits for each. Similarly, Sweden has proposed differentiating between two groups, essentially those with and without robust reference values. The proposed initial limit values for housing types within these groups also varies between the median and 75th percentile - see this report for details. The Netherlands consider a combined monetised limit for a bundle of impact categories beyond just embodied carbon and the limit reductions will vary by building typology (shown above is offices) - for a quick guide see here. Some jurisdictions that do not have limits shown above are also considering introducing limits but have not yet published values. The entries shown are limited to those published by regulatory bodies at the last update of the graphic on date indicated by the black vertical line.