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Toronto City Council has taken a significant step towards curbing embodied carbon in new construction projects by introducing a policy that offers cash incentives to builders. Under the new policy, builders who voluntarily limit the embodied carbon in their projects will receive cash rewards ranging from $2,400 to almost $5,300 per apartment, depending on size. The move, aligned with Version 4 of the Toronto Green Standard, follows the Council's recent decision to eliminate parking minimums for new condos and rental buildings. This initiative places Toronto among a growing number of jurisdictions globally actively regulating and reducing embodied carbon in construction.
Earlier this month, the Toronto City Council took a significant stride towards reducing the amount of carbon emissions associated with new buildings. They introduced a new policy that provides financial incentives to builders who voluntarily limit the embodied carbon in their projects. The incentives range from $2,400 to nearly $5,300 per apartment, depending on the apartment's size.
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The policy sets specific caps for different types of structures, and it will be incorporated into Version 4 of the Toronto Green Standard. This development comes less than a year after the Council's decision to eliminate parking minimums for new condos and rental buildings, which will lead to smaller garages and reduced consumption of concrete.
According to Jane Welsh, Toronto's environmental policy project manager, there has been a longstanding focus on the operational energy of buildings, but now there is a greater emphasis on understanding the materials used, recognizing their significance in reducing carbon emissions.
The recently introduced embodied carbon caps, which are set at 250 kgCO2e/m2 and 350 kgCO2e/m2, are based on extensive testing conducted by the U of T team. The team analysed approximately 550 buildings with diverse sizes and purposes to estimate the life cycle carbon emissions associated with each building. The caps have been set close to the median value for embodied carbon, striking a balance between being aggressive enough to drive savings and remaining within the realm of current approaches.
Additionally, a more stringent set of caps is applied to all city projects, including the numerous new rental units planned for city-owned land parcels in Toronto. Similar to British Columbia's Step Code, the Toronto Green Standard undergoes regular revisions, with each tier becoming increasingly stringent. Tier 1 is a mandatory requirement.
By taking this step, Toronto joins a growing group of cities, regions, and governments that have implemented or are in the process of implementing similar initiatives to regulate and decrease embodied carbon. Examples of these jurisdictions include Vancouver and California. Furthermore, Canada's federal government has expressed its intention to enforce a 30% reduction in embodied carbon for the structural materials used in new public buildings starting in 2025.
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