Why Build With Carbon Negative Building Materials?

At LP Building Solutions, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing the best construction materials for your builds. We work with third parties to develop life cycle assessments (LCAs) and environmental product declarations (EPDs) for LP products. These LCAs and EPDs allow us to assess and compare the environmental impact of our products' life cycles in line with internationally recognized standards. EPDs are a valuable tool for comparing products and providing transparency into the environmental footprint of a product across its full manufacturing value chain, from raw materials to product end-of-life.

In our pursuit of sustainable and environmentally friendly products, we completed five LCAs and EPDs for our LP® Structural Solutions portfolio. Along with LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding, these EPDs demonstrate the carbon negativity of our products. That means that our products store more carbon than is released during their entire life cycle, making us a meaningful part of the climate solution.

What Does Carbon Negative Mean?

Carbon negativity means that a product stores more carbon over its lifetime than is released during raw material sourcing, manufacturing and shipping the product to its final customer. A carbon negative building material will maintain a net negative carbon footprint throughout its life cycle.

This distinction is a step beyond carbon neutral, which means removing the same amount of carbon dioxide that is released by the production of a product.

We create building products that lock in carbon previously stored in trees. These products continue to store carbon for the life of the residential and commercial buildings. The result: less carbon in our atmosphere and continued value for customers, homeowners and shareholders.

Materials Make a Difference

The foundation of a carbon negative structure lies in the selection of materials with carbon-sequestering properties. The LP Structural Solutions portfolio contains everything you need to elevate your build and create a carbon negative building envelope. The products that earned the carbon negative distinction include:

• LP WeatherLogic® Air & Water Barrier

• LP Legacy® Premium Sub-Flooring

• LP® TechShield® Radiant Barrier

• LP® FlameBlock® Fire-Rated Sheathing

• LP® TopNotch® 350 Durable Sub-Flooring

Design with Efficiency in Mind

The LP Structural Solutions line of products is manufactured for peak performance, but it's just one piece of the bigger picture. To get the most out of your build, it's important to consider more than just the materials you will use. You can maximize energy efficiency by making intentional design choices.

Examples of intentional design choices include:

• Strategic placement of windows for passive solar heating

• Effective insulation to minimize energy loss

• Smart ventilation systems 

By minimizing the need for artificial heating and cooling in homes that rely on coal, natural gas and oil for heating or electricity, your building envelope can further reduce carbon emissions over the life span of your home.

LP Offers Sustainable Solutions

We recently announced our latest achievement: EPDs that determined the carbon negativity for the majority of the products in the LP Structural Solutions portfolio. Simply said, these products are carbon negative. As architects, builders and innovators continue to push the boundaries of energy efficiency in construction, we are proud to play our part in supplying carbon negative materials.

Browse the entire LP Structural Solutions portfolio today.