About us
The Low Carbon Building Initiative (LCBI) is a European certification launched in 2022 to bring consistency, transparency, and ambition to carbon measurement and reduction in real estate. Founded by major players in the sector and initiated by the BBCA association, LCBI applies a robust life cycle analysis (LCA) methodology that evaluates a building’s carbon footprint from construction through operation to end-of-life. It covers all asset classes in new construction, including offices, housing, hotels, and soon, logistics.
About us
The LCBI label sets carbon performance thresholds on three criteria (Embodied carbon, Operational Carbon and Biogenic Carbon) and certifies projects at three levels: Standard, Performance, and Excellence. Audited by Bureau Veritas, it ensures credibility and comparability across borders, giving both public and private actors the tools to take meaningful climate action. Our methodology is aligned with EU standards and emphasizes total carbon transparency.
As Cécile Dap, LCBI’s Director, puts it: “We’ve pioneered a way to evaluate buildings across Europe and recognize those setting the highest standards.”
In 2025, LCBI partnered with Afilog and European stakeholders (AEW, Virtuo Industrial Property, GSE Group, LIDL, APRC, AXA IM, & Baytree) to co-develop the first low-carbon label specifically for logistics buildings. This move opens a new chapter in our mission—helping one of the most dynamic and energy-intensive sectors reduce its environmental impact in a measurable and scalable way across Europe.
Our Technical Experts
The Low Carbon Building Initiative is supported by a strong network of technical and scientific partners.
Technical Experts:
A dedicated Technical Commission, co-led by Artelia and Elioth by Egis, as well as ELAN for logistics topics, ensures the independence and scientific integrity of the initiative. This commission brings together top-tier experts in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), building performance, and decarbonization strategies, ensuring the label is grounded in robust, measurable criteria
European Expert Group:
We also collaborate with leading European experts in the field, who contribute through dedicated working sessions, participate in specific Technical Commissions, or provide feedback on our ongoing developments during European Expert Group open meetings.
This collaborative technical framework guarantees that the LCBI label remains transparent, credible, and aligned with the latest European standards. It also allows the methodology to evolve with scientific advances and regulatory developments, reinforcing its role as a leading benchmark for low-carbon real estate in Europe.
Association BBCA
The French association BBCA, founded in 2015, brings together key low-carbon real estate players in France, including more than one hundred members such as two-thirds of the country’s 20 largest property developers, major architects, and investors. Among its honorary members is Jean Jouzel, climatologist and former vice-president of the IPCC. BBCA is the originator of the world’s first building carbon performance label (the BBCA label), which inspired French carbon regulations introduced in 2022.
It is also the initiator of LCBI, launched to bring a harmonized low-carbon certification to the European level.
Bureau Veritas, LCBI preferred certifier
Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has more than 82,000 employees located in nearly 1,600 offices and laboratories around the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its 400,000 clients improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the CAC 40 ESG, CAC Next 20 and SBF 120 indices. Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol: BVI.
Our Publications
LCBI kick starts the work on the first European low-carbon label for logistics assets, embarking key partners
LCBI kick starts the work on the first European low-carbon label for logistics assets, embarking key partners Read full press release April, 10th 2025 LCBI, the first pan-European standard for whole life-cycle carbon measurement of buildings, founded by major stakeholders of the real estate industry, announces [...]
À Clichy, premier immeuble certifié LCBI, label bas carbone
A Clichy, le premier immeuble labellisé LCBI, le label bas carbone européen Read full article 10 mars 2025 Développé par Axa IM Alts et Redman, l'immeuble Black est le premier projet labellisé "Low carbon building initiative" (LCBI) en France et le 3e au niveau européen. Lancé [...]
Afilog partners with LCBI for a harmonized and labeled carbon standard
Afilog and LCBI partner to assess the carbon footprint in logistics real estate Read full press release Paris, January 22. 2025 Measuring the carbon footprint of warehouses throughout their vision cycle is a workhorse of Afilog, which announced in early October the development of an ad [...]
