Uncertainty & Statistics

EC3 exists to help the construction industry reduce the climate impact of its work.

The first step is transparency about the carbon footprint of construction materials. In part, EC3 does this by digitizing print EPDs and publishing them in an openly accessible, free platform. But EC3 also does a great deal of math to assist users in navigating the complexity of the available data, and using it to drive emissions down and transparency up. The following documentation discloses EC3’s methods which go beyond simply providing of 3rd party verified EPDs in a digital format.

You can give us feedback or contribute data by using the Report Bugs and Feedback button inside EC3, by emailing us at [e-mail], or by using the contact form.

Category & Search Statistics

The boxplots that you see when you search for EPDs reflect the sample of EPDs fitting your search criteria. These calculations are done live based on the current state of the database and may change whenever EPDs expire (and are removed from the sample) or whenever new EPDs are added. The following diagram explains how the statistics are calculated. For more details see this one-pager.

Uncertainty and Specificity

Uncertainty exists in all scientific endeavors. EC3 is somewhat unusual among LCA tools in showing the uncertainty bounds and building it into our tools for comparison.

• EC3 uncertainty in brief (1 page)

• Introduction to EC3 uncertainty

General uncertainty methodology

• General uncertainty methodology

• Summary of default uncertainty factors

Category-specific uncertainty reports

• Concrete & cement

• Flat glass

• Steel (in progress)

• Resilient flooring (in progress)

• PVC & KEE membrane roofing (in progress)

• Data cabling (in progress)

• Asphalt (initiated data collection - please reach out if you want to contribute)

• Wood (in progress)