Carbon Impact Modeler
for Ryan Companies

Four carbon streams — agricultural sequestration, manufacturing & logistics vs. conventional materials, embodied substitution, and building energy lifecycle — modeled against Ryan's net-zero commitment by 2040. Adjust deployment inputs and bio-resin timeline to see when Ryan gets there with LBS.

LIVING BUILDING SYSTEMS, LLC
Hemp Bio-Block · Carbon Model
★ Ryan Companies Partnership
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Ryan reaches net zero
2034
With LBS — vs. Ryan's committed 2040 goal
Years accelerated
6
Years ahead of Ryan's 2040 commitment
Total carbon impact
—
MT CO₂e across all four streams
HVAC OpEx savings
—
Over the modeled operating period
Deployment Parameters
200,000 sf/yr
Wall/envelope sq ft per year. 1 block = 1.185111 sq ft (Factory Calculator, Conversion tab).
50 years
Years of building energy savings modeled. Hemp-lime walls perform for 500–1,000+ years.
35%
Peak HVAC load reduction from hemp-lime thermal mass. R32–R40+ effective assembly, vapor-open envelope.
Baseline Assumptions
35 kg/sf
Embodied carbon of displaced assembly. Wood frame ~8–12. Steel stud ~15–25. CMU ~30–50. ICF concrete ~50–80.
2.0 kg/sf/yr
Envelope-driven HVAC carbon per sq ft per year. Commercial ~1.5–3.0. Climate-sensitive buildings up to 6.
100 miles
Factory to job site. Steel averages 587 mi (mill→fab). CLT often 500+ mi or imported. LBS: regional, <100 mi typical.
Bio-Resin Frame — Production Milestone
2028
Year LBS transitions to hemp-fiber + bio-UPR frame. Replaces glass-fiber BMC (+3.49 kg CO₂e/block) with hemp composite (+1.22 kg CO₂e/block). Block becomes carbon negative. Source: Ecoinvent 3.11, nova-Institute 2019 hemp LCA, Envirez bio-UPR data.
Before bio-resin: Block = +1.28 kg CO₂e (full-scale poly)
After bio-resin (2028+): Block = −0.42 kg CO₂e — genuinely carbon negative
Scenario Outputs
Agric. = −4.005 kg CO₂e/block · Embodied = baseline − LBS × area × years · HVAC = fleet-compounding

Ryan's Decarbonization Trajectory

2040 goal → 2034 with LBS
Ryan committed 2040 path
 LBS path (forest = poly · purple = bio-resin after online year)
Acceleration zone
Ryan 2024: 180,000 MT CO₂e · LRQA verified · Net-zero commitment 2040
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Agricultural & Soil Sequestration
Carbon captured before a block is made
—
MT CO₂e sequestered in hemp fiber (over operating period)
Hemp sequesters 4.005 kg CO₂e per block during cultivation — locked permanently into the mineralized lime-hemp matrix. At 2.67 kg hemp hurd/block, one acre of hemp produces ~1,100 blocks. Hemp roots also add 0.3–0.5 MT CO₂e/acre/yr to soil organic matter.
vs. timber: captures CO₂ but releases at end-of-life within decades. Hemp-lime sequesters and locks permanently — 500–1,000+ year lifespan.
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Manufacturing & Logistics vs. Conventional
What conventional materials emit — and what LBS avoids
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MT CO₂e avoided vs. conventional wall system (over operating period)
Conventional wall at your selected baseline emits — MT CO₂e over the period. LBS full-scale emits only — MT CO₂e — the difference is — MT CO₂e avoided. Logistics: LBS delivers in 100 miles vs. steel (avg 587 mi mill→fab, often 1,500 mi total) and CLT (500+ mi or imported).
Delivery logistics: EPA GHG Hub 2025 rate of 0.128 kg CO₂e/tonne·km. LBS block ~6 kg. Regional delivery vs. steel or CLT long-haul = — kg CO₂e/block logistics advantage per block.
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Embodied Carbon in the Block
Net carbon locked in every block placed
7.80
Current production
kg CO₂e/block
1.28
Full-scale poly
kg CO₂e/block
−0.42
Full-scale bio-resin
kg CO₂e/block
A 6× improvement in carbon intensity at full-scale poly. Bio-resin goes carbon negative — hemp-fiber + bio-UPR frame (Ecoinvent 3.11, nova-Institute) replaces glass-fiber BMC (+3.49 → +1.22 kg CO₂e/block frame), allowing the hemp sequestration (−4.005) to dominate. With lifetime recarbonation: −0.99 kg CO₂e/block.
Conversion: 1 block = 1.185 sq ft · Full-scale poly = 1.08 kg CO₂e/sq ft · Bio-resin = −0.35 kg CO₂e/sq ft
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Building Energy Lifecycle Savings
HVAC carbon avoided across the fleet, every year
—
MT CO₂e avoided in building operations (over operating period)
Annual savings (mature fleet): — MT CO₂e/yr  |  OpEx savings: —
Hemp-lime thermal mass provides R32–R40+ effective performance while buffering daily temperature swings, reducing peak HVAC demand by 35%. Unlike foam insulation, bio-blocks absorb heat by day and release overnight — flattening the demand curve and reducing both carbon and energy bills every year the building operates.
HVAC savings compound as Ryan's LBS portfolio grows each year. Over 50 years, every sq ft of LBS wall pays ongoing carbon dividends.

Factory Calculator

CO2 + CO2(BMC) tabs · v1.2
1.185111 sq ft/block · Frame 4.315 kg/block · Bio-resin: hemp/bio-UPR ~1.0 kg CO₂e/kg vs. 2.32 kg CO₂e/kg conventional (Ecoinvent 3.11, nova-Institute 2019)

Supply Chain

kg CO₂e / block

Planetary Scale — What LBS Means Beyond Ryan

U.S. market · inline-editable assumptions
Click any gold value to edit directly
US wall area/yr: 800M sq ft Conventional baseline: 35 kg CO₂e/sq ft LBS delivery radius: 100 miles HVAC reduction: 35% Fleet life: 50 years

🌱 Agricultural Sequestration

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MT CO₂e/yr locked into hemp fiber going into blocks. Each acre of hemp also adds 0.3–0.5 MT CO₂e/yr to soil organic matter — permanently, with no industrial process.

🏭 Vs. Today's Construction Methods

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MT CO₂e/yr that conventional wall systems at this scale currently emit. LBS substitution avoids this. No cement kilns. No blast furnaces. No petrochemical foam. Regional hemp supply chains eliminate long-haul transport.

Conventional currently emits: — MT CO₂e/yr at this scale

🌡️ Lifetime Energy Savings

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MT CO₂e/yr avoided in building operations (50-year compounding fleet). The built environment accounts for 40% of global CO₂ emissions — every percentage of LBS adoption produces compounding lifetime dividends.

U.S. new construction wall area ~800M sq ft/yr. Full-scale LBS: 1.08 kg CO₂e/sq ft (poly) or −0.35 kg CO₂e/sq ft (bio-resin). Conventional baseline: 35 kg CO₂e/sq ft. HVAC: 35% reduction at 2.0 kg/sq ft/yr, 50-year fleet. Delivery: EPA GHG Hub 2025 (0.128 kg CO₂e/tonne·km), 100-mile default. All figures are illustrative projections.
Data sources: LBS Factory Calculator Master v1.2 — CO2 tab and CO2(BMC) tab. Hemp sequestration: 4.005 kg CO₂e/block. Bio-resin frame: hemp-fiber + Envirez bio-UPR (Ashland/OmniTech LCA 2009; AOC rPET-UPR Ecoinvent 3.11/Cefic Jan 2025; hemp fiber 0.4 kg CO₂e/kg nova-Institute 2019; compound GWP ~1.0 kg CO₂e/kg vs. conventional GF-BMC 2.32 kg CO₂e/kg). Frame weight: 4.315 kg/block. Full-scale poly frame: 3.488 kg CO₂e/block. Full-scale bio-resin frame: 1.215 kg CO₂e/block. Block coverage: 1.185111 sq ft/block (Conversion tab). Delivery: EPA GHG Emission Factors Hub Jan 2025, Table 8 (0.128 kg CO₂e/tonne·km TTW, medium/heavy-duty truck fleet avg). Delivery radius default 100 miles = typical CMU regional distribution per LEED v4, Echelon/Angelus Block data. Steel delivery: AISC 2025 EPD, 945 km (587 mi) mill-to-fabricator. Ryan baseline: 180,000 MT CO₂e, LRQA-verified 2024. HVAC OpEx at $2.00/sq ft/yr energy cost. Conventional wall baselines: ICE Database v3.0 and published LCA studies. This model is directional — project teams should validate against project-specific LCA/EPD and energy modeling before external commitments.
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