EllisDon, Mattamy Homes and RBC spearheading industry-wide agreement to increase consideration and use of lower carbon building materials.

MISSISAUGA, ON – June 5, 2024 - The Climate Smart Buildings Alliance, a joint project between EllisDon, RBC, and Mattamy Homes announces the Responsible Buildings Pact, a new cross-industry agreement aimed at increasing the use of low carbon materials in the built environment. The Pact was formally launched today at the Canada Green Building Council’s Building Lasting Change conference in Toronto with the first 23 signatories committing to support the first year of the collective industry effort. 

“Builders should always use the right materials for the job, but, as an industry, we need to reduce the carbon footprint of the materials we use,” says David Messer, Director of Climate Smart Buildings Alliance. “Recognizing the business realities everyone faces, the Pact is designed to make sure companies are asking the right questions, derisking climate-positive choices, and creating a sense of shared accountability.”

The Responsible Buildings Pact is an open, voluntary, industry-wide agreement for any developers, consultants, contractors, and supporters interested in working together to reduce the embodied carbon of the buildings they create. By joining the Pact, companies will commit to three core elements:

• Remaining educated on lower carbon materials.
• Establishing an internal process to consistently evaluate whether lower carbon materials or design strategies can be used.
• Reporting publicly on the results of their evaluation process and evaluations publicly and identifying the ability to use lower carbon materials.

“Buildings are responsible for approximately 1/3 of all carbon emissions. The technology exists now to potentially reduce the embodied portion of those emissions by approximately 40%,” says Jody Becker, Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President, Infrastructure Services & Technology at EllisDon. “We must create a sustainability culture across our industry in a similar way as our approach to safety – where doing the right thing isn’t competitive; it’s a collaborative mandate.”

“Most builders have their own sustainability targets, but for any of us to succeed, we need everyone to be moving in the same direction,” says Brad Carr, CEO, Mattamy Homes Canada. “We can only get more low carbon materials and technologies in the market if others in the industry are also sending the same signal to suppliers. The Pact will help us coordinate and collaborate towards shared climate objectives.”

“Around the world, industry competitors are coming together to advance low carbon solutions. It’s a critical part of bringing new technologies to market, and ultimately solving the climate crisis,” John Stackhouse, SVP Office of the CEO, RBC. “This is why RBC is proud to be a founding member of CSBA, and why we’re also proud to support the Responsible Buildings Pact.”

The first year of the Pact(June 2024–May 2025) will be a pilot year, with signatories only focusing on concrete. In 2025, a more formal agreement will be put in place to expand the Pact’s requirements for other materials over time, including steel, cladding, insulation, and finishes. The Pact’s first public impact report is being scheduled for April 2025. 

With the formal launch with 23 signatories on June 5th, CSBA is now launching outreach to bring more developers, contractors, and consultants into the Pact to broaden the impact of the initiative.

For more information on the Responsible Buildings Pact please visit: www.buildingsalliance.ca/pact.

Media Contact
Raphaela Mandel
Communications Manager
rmandel@ellisdon.com

About Climate Smart Buildings Alliance (CSBA)
CSBA (pronounced “Caz-Bah”) is a joint project between RBC, EllisDon, and Mattamy Homes aimed at leading and accelerating the building sector’s transition to net zero. Through a range of targeted action projects and pilots, CSBA hopes to address barriers and spur system-level change across the buildings industry. Learn more about CSBA at www.buildingsalliance.ca.

About EllisDon
EllisDon is an employee-owned, $6 billion-a-year global construction services company. With over 5,000 salaried and hourly employees across fifteen national and international offices, EllisDon has become a leader in every sector and nearly every facet of the construction industry. For more information, please visit www.ellisdon.com.

About Mattamy Homes
Mattamy Homes is the largest privately owned homebuilder in North America, with more than 45 years of operations history across Canada and the United States. Every year, Mattamy helps 8,000 families realize their dream of home ownership. In the United States, the company is represented in 11 markets –Charlotte, Raleigh, Phoenix, Tucson, Jacksonville, Orlando (where its US head office is located), Tampa, Sarasota, Naples, Dallas and Southeast Florida – and in Canada, its communities stretch across the Greater Toronto Area, as well as in Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton. Visit www.mattamyhomes.com for more information.

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 98,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada’s biggest bank and one of the largest in the world, based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our more than 18 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn more at www.rbc.com.