One Click LCA highlighted in UKGBC innovation map for sustainable retrofitting

A response to the retrofit challenge

Retrofitting existing buildings is essential to reaching climate targets. Globally, the built environment accounts for 39% of energy-related carbon emissions, and the majority of the 2050 building stock already exists today. Yet innovation in retrofit delivery remains fragmented, with practitioners often forced to spend valuable time searching for solutions or relying on incomplete data.

The retrofit innovation map directly addresses this barrier. It categorizes solutions across six key areas:

• Early-stage retrofit design and planning
  
  
• Energy generation and storage technologies
  
  
• Operational energy, water, and waste efficiency
  
  
• Circularity and reuse approaches
  
  
• Low embodied carbon materials and construction products
  
  
• Sustainable construction site practices
  
  

By bringing together solutions into a single platform, UKGBC has created a tool that makes it easier for architects, engineers, contractors, and sustainability consultants to identify credible approaches and implement them at scale.

“The Innovation Map brings solutions together in one place for the first time — creating visibility, reducing duplication, and supporting faster adoption in practice.” — UKGBC

One Click LCA’s role in reducing embodied carbon

Embodied carbon — the emissions linked to materials and construction processes — is increasingly at the forefront of built environment decarbonization. According to CIBSE, building services alone can account for 15–50% of embodied carbon in new buildings, and as much as 70% in refurbishments and retrofits.

One Click LCA’s inclusion in the retrofit innovation map reflects the increasing importance of robust life-cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental product declarations (EPDs) in retrofit decision-making. The software supports practitioners by:

• Quantifying embodied carbon at every stage — from early design options to detailed retrofit delivery.
  
  
• Comparing low-carbon alternatives using the world’s largest construction LCA and EPD database, with over 500,000 verified datasets.
  
  
• Automating assessments to reduce manual effort, saving up to 73% of input time compared with traditional workflows.
  
  
• Ensuring compliance with more than 140 international standards and certification schemes, including EN 15804, LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, and national regulations.
  
  
• Providing reliable benchmarks that allow project teams to track embodied carbon reductions against industry best practice.
  
  

For retrofit teams, this means faster, more reliable embodied carbon assessments and a clearer path to meeting both regulatory and corporate net-zero commitments.

Why visibility matters for innovators

UKGBC’s retrofit innovation map is not only a resource for project teams — it is also a platform for innovators. Manufacturers, software providers, and service companies included in the map gain greater visibility among specifiers, consultants, and contractors seeking solutions.

This visibility is becoming increasingly important. According to One Click LCA’s 2025 Carbon Experts Report, 83% of AEC professionals say that EPDs already influence their material selection decisions, while 89% of manufacturers recognize the growing importance of EPDs for winning business. Being featured in a widely trusted industry resource increases the likelihood that low-carbon solutions will be adopted more quickly and at scale.

Driving collaboration across the value chain

The retrofit innovation map was developed through an Innovation Initiative between UKGBC, Breakthrough Energy, and FORE Partnership, with funding support from Breakthrough Energy. Advisory input was provided by members of UKGBC’s Solutions & Innovation Advisory Group, who helped refine the structure and ensure the map addressed real-world challenges.

This collaborative approach mirrors a wider industry shift. Decarbonization in the built environment requires coordinated action between architects, engineers, contractors, and manufacturers. Tools like One Click LCA — combined with centralized resources like the innovation map — create the conditions for that collaboration by aligning data, reducing duplication, and ensuring all stakeholders are working from the same evidence base.

Timing is critical

The launch of the retrofit innovation map comes as regulations tighten across Europe and beyond.

• From 2026, the revised Construction Products Regulation (CPR) will require manufacturers to disclose global warming potential in declarations of performance and issue digital product passports.
  
  
• Under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), all large projects in the EU will be required to report whole-life carbon from 2028, with broader requirements from 2030.
  
  
• The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will apply tariffs to carbon-intensive imports, further emphasizing the need for verified carbon data.
  
  

These regulatory drivers make it increasingly urgent for retrofit teams to integrate embodied carbon assessment into their processes. By being recognized in UKGBC’s map, One Click LCA is positioned as a trusted, ready-to-use solution for compliance and performance.

“Commercial retrofits can cut emissions significantly, but only if practitioners can find and apply credible solutions quickly. This map removes a key barrier — access to practical, tested approaches.” — Member of UKGBC Solutions & Innovation Advisory Group

These perspectives underline why recognition matters: solutions like One Click LCA are most impactful when they are visible, comparable, and accessible to the professionals who need them.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Why was One Click LCA included in the UKGBC retrofit innovation map?
Because it provides a scientifically robust way to measure and reduce embodied carbon in retrofit projects, using verified EPD data and automated LCA workflows.

Q: How does this benefit project teams?
Faster embodied carbon assessments, reliable comparison of material options, and the ability to demonstrate compliance with emerging whole-life carbon regulations.

Q: How does it benefit manufacturers?
By connecting product EPDs with specifiers through the platform, ensuring visibility in retrofit procurement and positioning products competitively in low-carbon tenders.

Q: Why is embodied carbon such a focus in retrofits?
Because in many retrofit projects, embodied carbon from materials and systems can represent 40–70% of total life-cycle emissions. Cutting these impacts is essential for achieving net-zero pathways.

Q: What is the bigger picture?
The inclusion of One Click LCA in UKGBC’s retrofit innovation map reinforces the growing role of transparent carbon data and scalable digital tools in enabling credible, measurable decarbonization across the built environment.