The Infrastructure 2050 Challenge
Infrastructure professionals shall understand, reduce, and eliminate embodied carbon emissions within infrastructure projects to net zero by 2050. Together, we can work to achieve this by collectively identifying, communicating, and implementing effective embodied emissions reduction strategies across infrastructure projects.
Commitment Criteria
Engineer
Participate in monthly industry meetings with a diverse group of stakeholders to develop holistic, data-informed Embodied Carbon Action Plans (industry and firmwide) towards net zero embodied emissions within infrastructure systems. Calculate and report your firm’s infrastructure-specific baseline values, by life cycle stage, to support your firm’s analysis. 
Enact
Complete at least one Case Study annually that outlines key embodied emissions data for an infrastructure system.
Educate
Promote educational content surrounding embodied emissions reduction strategies. Contribute to workshops and conferences working to advance embodied emissions methodologies, guidance document development, or industry-wide database development. Integrate developed tools and content into existing commonly used tools and procedures.
Commitment Statements
by Stakeholder Group
We invite organizations to join us in this industry shift and work towards our collective 2050 goal. By signing the commitment letter, your organization demonstrates its leadership in building a more sustainable future for infrastructure.
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Please identify your organization's stakeholder group below:
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Agencies/EntitiesWe will incorporate low-carbon material and equipment requirements, performance-based targets, and goals across our organization, as well as within our procurement and design processes. We will incentivize more sustainable, lower-carbon solutions for our projects. We will promote whole life cycle carbon assessments that extend beyond raw materials and equipment, including factors such as transportation, detours, maintenance, and end-of-life circularity.
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Engineering/Design FirmsWe will integrate embodied carbon analyses and reduction targets within our design, construction, and cost estimating processes and advocate for low-carbon materials and construction methods. We will promote whole life cycle carbon assessments that extend beyond raw materials and equipment, including factors such as transportation, detours, and end-of-life circularity.
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Contractors/BuildersWe will compile, evaluate, implement, and document best practices for low-carbon construction techniques and performance and use low-carbon materials, fuels and equipment wherever possible. We will track our carbon reduction in our construction processes towards our targets. 
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Material ManufacturersWe will research, develop, and offer low-carbon infrastructure materials with transparent environmental impact data, including emissions from extraction, transport, and manufacturing. We will track our carbon reduction in our materials towards our targets. We will promote industry research needs and collaborate with research institutions to accelerate analyses.
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Software Developers/ModelersWe will develop, implement, and integrate tools that incorporate emissions quantification methodologies, emissions factors, data analyses, and optimization strategies within design and modeling software, ultimately easing the tracking of progress towards carbon reduction targets. We will develop educational content and training to support the use of these tools. We will make these tools widely available with new software releases and new version releases of existing software.
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Equipment Manufacturers & Rental ProvidersWe will invest in and promote the adoption of energy-efficient, low-emissions and zero-emissions construction equipment. We will track our carbon reduction of our equipment towards our targets. We will identify industry barriers with low-emissions equipment and fuel adoption, along with potential solutions to overcome these challenges.
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Researchers, Innovators, Educators, and Industry OrganizationsWe will advance research surrounding innovative materials, processes, methodologies, and design and construction strategies for minimizing embodied carbon emissions in infrastructure systems. We will generate and promote educational content to inform the larger industry and associated stakeholders.
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Policymakers We will enact data-driven policies and incentives that encourage and support the use of low-carbon infrastructure solutions. We will advocate to enforce effective carbon reduction efforts as a standard towards net zero embodied carbon emissions by 2050.