The climate impacts of producing building materials, plastics, and food

This briefing from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) summarizes a panel discussion on reducing upstream greenhouse gas emissions from the production of building materials, plastics, and food, with a primary focus on the built environment and the transition toward a circular economy.

• Recycling is considered an insufficient solution for reducing carbon emissions because the majority of environmental impacts occur during the initial production of materials. Analysis indicates that even achieving a 100 percent recycling rate for municipal solid waste would only result in an "incrementally small" reduction in carbon emissions, as material consumption currently exceeds the capacity of recovered feedstock.
• The relationship between building energy efficiency and embodied emissions is complex; for example, certain high-value insulation materials like extruded polystyrene foam use chemicals with high global warming potential. In some cases, the emissions generated during the manufacture of these materials can take 30 to 40 years to be offset by the energy efficiency gains they provide.
• Circular business models, such as leasing roof structures, can lower upfront construction costs and allow for greater investment in energy efficiency while ensuring materials are returned to the manufacturer for reuse at the end of the building's life cycle.
• Proposed policy and technology solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of building materials include the adoption of natural building materials, new cement chemistries, carbon sequestering aggregates, and "buy-clean" legislation at federal and state levels to create market demand for low-carbon products via environmental product declarations (EPDs).
• Panelists suggest the federal government should implement a clear circular economy plan with unified goals to prevent fragmented state and city policies, increase funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to act as a life cycle data repository, and expand product stewardship to make manufacturers responsible for the entire life cycle of their products.

APA

Johnson, E. (2021). The climate impacts of producing building materials, plastics, and food. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/120821waste

Chicago

Johnson, Emma. The climate impacts of producing building materials, plastics, and food. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2021. https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/120821waste.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Johnson |first1=Emma |title=The climate impacts of producing building materials, plastics, and food |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=8 December 2021 |url=https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/120821waste |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{johnson2021climate, author = {Johnson, Emma}, title = {{The climate impacts of producing building materials, plastics, and food}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/120821waste}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }