Skanska USA, Clark Construction, DPR Construction, and Ryan Companies are the founding members of a nationwide committee aiming to standardize decarbonization reporting and reducing carbon emissions in the construction industry.
Additional members now include Granite Construction, Kiewit Corporation, Mortenson Construction, and Turner Construction Company.
The committee is called the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) Task Force on Decarbonization and Carbon Reporting. Over the next year, the task force will help standardize carbon reporting by developing an industry guidebook and educational resources on best practices for decarbonization. The committee is part of AGC’s climate change initiative, which aims to shape climate change policies that impact the construction industry, while reducing the industry’s environmental impact.
The construction industry and the built environment are responsible for nearly 40 percent of global carbon emissions impacting climate change. Contractors are increasingly exploring efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, including changes in their operations, adoption of new policies, and investments in new technologies.
“The AGC Task Force unites some of the biggest construction companies to support the industry’s decarbonization efforts,” says Myrrh Caplan, national vice-president of sustainability at Skanska USA building and chair of the AGC Task Force on Decarbonization and Carbon Reporting. “The committee will develop a guidebook to help contractors understand how to calculate and report emissions, and how to set actionable goals as they play an instrumental role in addressing climate change. We look forward to being part of a process that reduces the industry’s environmental impact and creates more resilient communities.”
