(I08) Reaching Net-zero Structures - SE 2050 Commitment Program’s Status and Vision for the Future

This session showcases the Structural Engineers 2050 Commitment Program (SE 2050) by the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. SE 2050 is a voluntary North American program for structural engineering firms focused on tracking and reducing embodied carbon in structures. 

Signatory firms are required to submit an Embodied Carbon Action Plan annually that summarizes the firm’s commitment to embodied carbon education, reporting, reduction, and advocacy. We will highlight some of the creative initiatives firms are taking to advocate for embodied carbon reduction internally and externally.  

To fulfill reporting requirements, signatory firms anonymously submit project embodied carbon data and associated metadata to the SE 2050 Database. We will share preliminary insights from the first year of project data collected in the SE 2050 Database and explain how this data will be used to establish embodied carbon benchmarks.  

As the program expands, it will evolve to meet the needs of a growing list of participants and stakeholders.  We will close with future directions for SE 2050 and offer owners and architects the insight needed to effectively engage with their structural engineering teams in climate action.