BRE joins ECHO Project coalition

BRE has joined as a participating organisation in the Embodied Carbon Harmonization and Optimization (ECHO) Project — a coalition of industry-leading groups across North America working to accelerate the reduction of embodied carbon in the built environment. BRE’s inclusion signals international recognition of its sustainability leadership and commitment to working with partners to shape embodied carbon strategies, life cycle assessment, and data reporting in North America. 

Launched in 2023 by Architecture 2030, Building Transparency, the Carbon Leadership Forum, the International Living Future Institute, and the US Green Building Council, the ECHO Project unites key voices from across the architecture, engineering, and construction sectors. In doing so, the coalition is focused on aligning data reporting frameworks, life cycle assessment methodologies, and embodied carbon definitions across the built environment to advance industry-wide consistency and impact. 

BRE joins this cohort, adding to a list of respected, changemaking organisations that include the American Institute of Architects, Urban Land Institute, Canada Green Building Council, and the American Society of Civil Engineers, among others. BRE’s science and research on embodied carbon informs the evolution of BREEAM, the leading global sustainability assessment method for buildings and infrastructure. Embodied carbon is deeply embedded into the forthcoming BREEAM New Construction Version 7, which emphasises whole building carbon measurement and performance through life cycle assessment methodologies.

“BRE’s participation in the ECHO Project underscores the strength of our expertise, highlights our long-standing commitment to reducing carbon across all building phases, and gives us the opportunity to collaborate directly with other organisations driving embodied carbon policy and practices,” said Breana Wheeler, Director of Operations for BRE in the US. “As conversations around carbon disclosure and performance become more technical and data-driven, being a part of this coalition ensures we’re contributing to — and learning from — efforts to harmonise how embodied carbon is defined, measured, reported and, ultimately, reduced.” 

The coalition’s goal is to eliminate inconsistencies in embodied carbon data that hinder benchmarking, comparison and climate target-setting across the building sector. Some key outputs to date include the release of the “Project Life Cycle Assessment Requirements: ECHO Recommendations for Alignment” and the “ECHO Reporting Schema,” which provide a unified foundation for tools, certifications and commitments across the sector.

As embodied carbon emerges as a critical frontier for climate action, BRE’s involvement in ECHO will support a global and local approach to embodied carbon measurement, aligning multiple sector and market approaches. This milestone deepens BRE’s ability to deliver credible, data-driven guidance to support resilient, low-carbon decision-making across North American projects and portfolios. 

Learn more about BRE’s work in North America here and more about BREEAM New Construction Version 7 here.