A trusted approach to whole-life carbon assessment
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has announced the launch of the Coalition for Life Cycle Emissions Alignment and Reporting (CLEAR).
This is a world-wide initiative designed to harmonise the measurement and reporting of whole-life carbon emissions across the global built environment.
CLEAR was being launched at the Sustainable Buildings and Construction Summit held this week in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Bringing together leading organisations from across the sector, CLEAR has been established to create a more consistent and trusted approach to whole-life carbon assessment, improve confidence in carbon data and support faster progress towards decarbonisation targets.
Human-generated greenhouse gas emissions remain a major driver of environmental, social and economic challenges, including rising global temperatures and biodiversity loss.
The built environment is responsible for a significant share of those emissions, spanning both embodied and operational carbon.
Yet despite growing recognition of the need for whole-life carbon measurement, fragmented and inconsistent methodologies continue to make it difficult for industry and policymakers to compare results, benchmark performance and make informed decisions.
CLEAR aims to address that challenge by aligning how whole-life carbon emissions from buildings and infrastructure are measured and reported across different markets and jurisdictions.
The initiative will analyse existing approaches, identify points of difference and develop a globally relevant framework for assessment and reporting.
It will also support the sector through practical tools, technical resources and an online platform designed to build capability and encourage adoption.
RICS is a founder of the coalition and will play a leading role in delivering the initiative alongside its co-founders, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Global Building Data Initiative (GBDI), as well as sponsor Autodesk.
It will work with key industry collaborators, including AECOM, Arcadis, Autodesk, Avison Young, Heidelberg Materials, Morgan Sindall, Once For All, OneClickLCA, Turner and Townsend, and we2sure.
The coalition builds on existing industry leadership and recognised standards, including RICS’ whole-life carbon assessment guidance, as well as the International Cost Management Standards and International Property Measurement Standards.
It also draws on RICS’ experience in supporting data transparency through initiatives such as the Built Environment Carbon Database.
CLEAR is intended to bring together a range of individuals and organisations, including standard setters, industry coalitions, architects, manufacturers, software providers, investors and specialists in carbon measurement and reporting.
Through this collaborative model, the coalition aims to strengthen trust in whole-life carbon practices and help support public-interest outcomes through greater consistency and transparency.
In its first year, CLEAR will focus on coalition building, analysing existing whole-life carbon assessment methodologies and developing resources that can be used by both industry and policy stakeholders.
The long-term ambition is to support a harmonised global framework that enables more effective reporting, stronger benchmarking and more confident carbon-related decision-making across the built environment.
Nick Maclean, RICS president, says: “The choices we make now will impact generations to come.
“The CLEAR initiative is a timely measure that will create shared trust, inspire confidence in carbon reporting, and empower the sector to shape a resilient, low‑carbon future.”