Sustainability — Girder-Slab® Embodied Carbon & Environmental Data

Page URL: https://www.girder-slab.com/sustainability Structural-Level Carbon Reduction — Not Offsets Every above-grade concrete pour eliminated by the Girder-Slab® system is a direct reduction in process emissions — not a credit, not a certificate. The structural advantage is built in. Why the Numbers Are Significant: - The built environment is responsible for 39% of global GHG emissions - Structural systems account for roughly 80% of a building's embodied carbon - Concrete production accounts for approximately 8% of global CO₂ emissions - Portland cement calcination is emissions-intensive by design, with no recycled content in ready-mix concrete Relative Embodied Carbon Comparison: - Conventional Cast-in-Place Concrete: Index 91 (HIGH) — Portland cement calcination; no recycled content - Girder-Slab® Structural Steel + Precast: Index 37 (LOWER) — 93%+ recycled content; EAF production; no above-grade concrete pours Sources: IEA Global Status Report 2023; Edmonton Airport Hotel Impact Analysis; CS3 Project Data. Key Environmental Metrics: - Recycled content in structural steel: 93%+ - Above-grade concrete pours in structural system: 0 - Steel production method: Electric arc furnace (EAF) — lowest process emissions for structural steel - Certification compatibility: LEED, BREEAM, local embodied carbon ordinances Certification Compatibility: LEED v4 Materials & Resources — Recycled content of structural steel contributes directly to LEED MR credits. EAF-produced steel maximizes Regional Materials and Recycled Content categories. CS3 provides material data for LEED documentation. BREEAM Materials Category — Girder-Slab® structural steel qualifies for BREEAM Materials credits under responsible sourcing and lifecycle impact criteria. Whole Building LCA / Local Ordinances — As embodied carbon ordinances expand across major US metros, the structural system choice becomes a compliance variable. Girder-Slab® provides a structural-level advantage that envelope optimization alone cannot achieve. Request carbon data for LEED, BREEAM, or local ordinance submissions: https://www.girder-slab.com/evaluate