Trane Technologies, a leader in climate innovation, has announced a groundbreaking commitment to reduce embodied carbon by 40% by 2030, setting a new industry standard. This initiative builds on the company’s dedication to sustainable sourcing, including low-carbon steel, and emphasizes collaboration with suppliers of key building materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, and refrigerants. The company will also continue to integrate circular design principles into its product development.
Currently, buildings account for 40% of global energy-related carbon emissions. A crucial part of mitigating this impact involves reducing embodied carbon, which encompasses all greenhouse gas emissions linked to a product’s lifecycle—from raw material extraction to manufacturing, transportation, and recycling.
“To create a more sustainable world, we must tackle emissions from the built environment,” said Dave Regnery, Chair and CEO of Trane Technologies. “This includes not only reducing embodied carbon but also electrifying heating and optimizing energy through digital solutions. We are proud to be at the forefront, partnering with suppliers to scale sustainable materials and designing products with circularity in mind to help our customers meet their performance and sustainability goals.”
Diane Holdorf, Executive Vice President of Pathways at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, emphasized the importance of bridging operational and embodied carbon. “HVAC systems are essential to achieving a net-zero future, and there can be no decarbonization without addressing building emissions. We are proud to work with industry leaders like Trane Technologies who are committed to significant reductions in carbon footprints for themselves and their clients.”
This new commitment aligns with guidance from global non-profit organizations in the building sector and complements Trane Technologies’ existing 2030 Sustainability Commitments, established with a baseline year of 2019. This includes the Gigaton Challenge, which aims to reduce customer greenhouse gas emissions by one billion metric tons—the largest science-based climate commitment from any global company within a single decade. Additionally, the company has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, with its near and long-term targets validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
