What we Do
NET-ZERO CONSTRUCTION, EMBODIED CARBON & WHOLE-LIFE CARBON MANAGEMENT 
The manufacture and transportation of construction materials are responsible for over 11% of global emissions and 50% of emissions from new buildings to 2050. This “embodied carbon” of construction projects is increasingly being managed (quantified, reduced, offset/removed, and disclosed), and in some regions regulated. Mantle Developments can help your construction project manage both your embodied and operational carbon (whole-life carbon) to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by:
- Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to quantify the carbon impact of your project, compare design alternatives, and recommend reduction opportunities in collaboration with the design team, construction team, and material suppliers
- Using energy modeling to quantify operational carbon (i.e. the emissions from operating building systems, usually tied to energy consumption), identifying more efficient building system alternatives, and recommending reduction opportunities in collaboration with the design and construction teams
- Calculating corporate scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions following global frameworks and helping set reduction targets
- Sourcing high-quality carbon offsets and/or removals for any residual carbon
- Comparing against industry benchmarks and preparing public and/or investor reporting and disclosure documentation
- Developing decarbonization strategies for development owners and project team members
The result is a clear understanding of your project or organization’s life cycle carbon impact along with actionable strategies to minimize and offset/remove it making you net zero carbon-ready.
PRODUCT & MATERIAL LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) and CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS (EPD) 
Leading owners and designers of building and infrastructure are asking for low-carbon products and materials to help achieve their net-zero ambitions. When product and material manufacturers are asked “what is the carbon footprint of your concrete block” (or any other product or material), many simply don’t know and are lacking data and documentation. This leaves them at a competitive disadvantage to competitors that have market-ready analysis and certified documentation in the form of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). We can help by:
- Using specialized product and material life cycle assessment (LCA) software to calculate the environmental impacts, including carbon emissions, of your product
- Summarize results in the form of a market-ready environmental product declaration (EPD)
- Certify to international standards like ISO 14040, ISO 14044, ISO 21930, and others
- Earn your product/material credits under LEED v4 and other green building rating systems
- Understand the "hot spot" processes and materials in your product that lead to the greatest emissions. These can then be substituted with lower impact alternatives.
This analysis and the resulting market-facing summary documentation will show the market that you are serious about managing, reducing, and disclosing your environmental impacts, and puts you on the track to be a climate leader.
Climate Resilient Construction 
Our changing climate means that developments are increasingly being subjected to weather conditions they weren’t designed for, from floods to wildfires. Mantle Developments can help your organization understand your business and/or project’s exposure to climate risk and provide targeted solutions. Services include:
- Portfolio-level climate risk assessment (based on postal/zip code or address)
- Asset-level climate risk assessment (based on asset properties and location)
- Climate-resilient design strategies for new buildings, infrastructure, and energy systems
- Retrofit strategies to mitigate climate risk of existing assets
We can also perform climate risk assessments for critical service providers and members of your supply chain.
Low-carbon Construction & Certification
Mantle Developments can help your project achieve climate-related voluntary certifications and meet mandatory regulatory requirements including the following:
- LEED certification
- Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) Zero Carbon Building Standard
- Global ESG Benchmarks for Real Assets (GRESB)
- Toronto Green Standard
- Vancouver’s Green Building Policy for Rezoning
- Infrastructure Canada Climate Lens
We also have extensive experience with the fast-evolving space of low-carbon materials including mass timber, low-carbon concrete, and low-carbon steel. We help our clients maximize the benefits and minimize the risks associated with these innovative building materials while proposing best practices to maximize their carbon reduction and storage benefits.
Policy Development & Research
We support leading policymakers, asset owners, and developers to research, understand, prioritize, and create innovative climate-smart strategies, policies, and requirements to decarbonize the built environment and be prepared for the changing climate. This includes developing both public policy to drive top-down climate-resilient building and infrastructure requirements, and also private corporate policies to spur private sector innovation from the ground-up. Research & Policy development topics include:
- Whole building and construction material life cycle environmental impacts assessment, reporting, reduction methodologies, and best practices
- Embodied carbon assessment and reduction at different scales, including material, building, portfolio, or jurisdiction
- Low embodied carbon materials and products, including mass timber products
- Flood resilience solutions, including green infrastructure
- Resilient, low operational carbon systems, including district energy, combined heat and power, and refrigerant leakage management
- Climate adaptation and resilience
Education & Training
From climate-related strategy and business trend education for the C-suite and board to operational training for construction crews and material suppliers, Mantle Developments helps your organization become more climate-informed with actionable training. We provide climate action education in a variety of formats (in-person or virtual training, design charrettes, workshops, etc.) to introduce, engage and inspire your stakeholders. Education topics include:
- Carbon, including embodied carbon (scope 3) & life cycle assessment (LCA)
- Climate adaptation and resilience
- Climate-change and embodied-carbon construction policies, certifications, codes & standards
- Net-zero carbon construction practices
- Customized training as requested
