Trane Technologies Leads Efforts to Reduce Embodied Carbon in Buildings

Innovative technologies and supply chain collaborations are key to decarbonizing the built environment

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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Embodied carbon, the hidden environmental footprint of the built environment, is a major focus for Trane Technologies and other industry leaders. By working with suppliers to source lower-carbon materials, increase recycled content, and improve energy efficiency in production, companies are making progress on reducing embodied carbon across the value chain. Innovative building materials that store carbon and technologies that turn captured CO2 into construction products are also emerging as solutions to decarbonize the built environment.

Why it matters

The built environment accounts for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with embodied carbon from construction and materials making up about a quarter of that. Reducing embodied carbon is crucial to achieving sustainability goals and creating a net-zero built environment. Industry leaders like Trane Technologies are setting ambitious targets and collaborating across the value chain to drive innovation and scale solutions.

The details

Trane Technologies is taking a strategic approach to its goal of reducing embodied carbon by 40% by 2030. This includes working closely with suppliers to identify alternatives and innovations that can lower upstream emissions, such as shifting to renewable electricity for manufacturing, improving energy efficiency, and increasing recycled content in key materials like steel, aluminum, and copper. The company has already delivered over 1 million HVAC systems made with low-carbon steel and pledged to move to 100% net-zero steel by 2050. Trane is also focused on reducing operational emissions, aiming to help its customers eliminate a gigaton of carbon emissions by 2030 through its Gigaton Challenge.

  • Trane Technologies set a goal in 2026 to reduce embodied carbon by 40% by 2030.
  • Trane has already delivered over 1 million HVAC systems made with low-carbon steel.

The players

Trane Technologies

An American company that provides heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, services and solutions for commercial and residential buildings.

Amrize

The largest building solutions company in North America, focused on extending building lifespans, advancing circular construction, and bringing carbon-neutral and carbon-positive building technologies to market at scale.

Molly Swanson

A transportation management technology analyst at Trane Technologies who helps the company make decisions to reduce emissions from transportation.

Nollaig Forrest

The chief marketing and corporate affairs officer at Amrize, who emphasizes the importance of partnering across the value chain and unlocking value for customers with new sustainable solutions.

Cal Krause

The Operational Impacts Program Manager at Trane Technologies, who authored this article.

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What they’re saying

“When we have that data, we're able to make better decisions to help reduce our emissions.”

— Molly Swanson, transportation management technology analyst (Trane Technologies)

“The technologies to make the building stock carbon neutral and even carbon positive actually exist today. A big part of our challenge is to bring these solutions to market at scale.”

— Nollaig Forrest, chief marketing and corporate affairs officer (Amrize)

What’s next

Trane Technologies plans to continue collaborating with suppliers to further reduce embodied carbon in its products and help its customers achieve their sustainability goals.

The takeaway

By prioritizing embodied carbon reduction through innovative materials, supply chain collaborations, and operational efficiency improvements, industry leaders like Trane Technologies are making significant progress toward creating a more sustainable built environment.