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Tools and databases A growing number of tools and databases are becoming available for calculating embodied carbon of whole-project interiors and finishes, though the tools are not yet as well known or developed as whole-building LCA tools. The data sources within these databases vary: EPDs, manufacturer-provided data, academic research, industry statistics, government publications, and other databases. These differences in data sources can influence the accuracy and comparability of the results. Some databases account for regional variations in life cycle inventory (LCI) data, baseline LCA values, and EPD information, while others may only support analysis within specific countries or regions.

Teams should select tools and databases that best align with their project needs, considering factors such as geographic relevance, data accuracy, and software compatibility. Some common whole building life-cycle assessment (WBLCA ) tools in North America may have data for interiors, including Athena Impact Estimator [66] , One Click LCA [67,] and Tally [68.] Some commonly used material and product databases include Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3)69, Ecomedes [70] , and Sustainable Minds Transparency Catalog [71] . All of these continue to add more finishes and interior product categories every year.

Results of the Embodied Carbon Quantification

When tallied up, the results of the embodied carbon quantification represent the total embodied carbon calculated from the cradle-to-gate (A1–A3) stages of materials used in the project’s interior scope of work. With the results of this quantification, teams are able to identify the high GWP materials early in design and prioritize alternatives or modifications.

High-priority Embodied Carbon Sources

An incredible opportunity exists for embodied carbon reduction in high-impact materials for interiors projects through policy, design, material selection, and specification. For example, selecting low embodied carbon options for finish materials like flooring, ceiling tiles, and paints can result in a 5% embodied carbon reduction without added cost. [72] Deeper reductions can be achieved by targeting materials with highest impacts based on EPDs and other data gathered

66 “Impact Estimator for Buildings”, Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, 2022, https://calculatelca.com/software/impact-estimator/. 67 “One Click LCA”, One Click LCA Ltd., 2025, https://oneclicklca.com/software/design-construction. 68 “Tally”, Building Transparency, 2023, https://choosetally.com/. 69 “Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator” (EC3), Building Transparency, 2024, https://www.buildingtransparency.org/. 70 “Ecomedes”, Ecomedes, Inc., 2024, https://products.ecomedes.com/. 71 “Sustainable Minds Transparency Calculator”, Sustainable Minds® Transparency Catalog™, https://transparencycatalog.com/search 72 Esau, R., Jungclaus, M., Olgyay, V. & Rempher, A. (2021, July), RMI, Reducing Embodied Carbon in Buildings, https://www.rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2021/08/Embodied_Carbon_full_report.pdf.

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Interior Design and Construction, April 2025 Launch Edition 242