Overview

The IGBC Net Zero Carbon Rating System is a framework developed by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) under the Confederation of Indian Industry. It applies to both new and existing buildings and campuses across all typologies, including commercial, residential, healthcare, hospitality, educational, airports, and transit facilities.

The rating system is structured around two certification phases and two certification levels:

Certification levels

Design and Construction phase: for projects in design, under construction, or in operations for less than one year.

Certification level	Criteria	Minimum points
Near Net Zero Carbon	Embodied carbon ≤ 700 kg CO₂e/m² and offset ≥ 75% of operational carbon	40
Net Zero Carbon	Embodied carbon ≤ 700 kg CO₂e/m² and offset ≥ 90% of operational carbon	60

Operations phase: for projects in operations for more than one year

Certification level	Criteria	Minimum points
Near Net Zero Carbon	Offset ≥ 75% of total operational carbon	40
Net Zero Carbon	Offset ≥ 90% of total operational carbon	60

Certifications are valid for three years. Projects certified under the Design and Construction phase must subsequently apply for Operations phase certification.

One Click LCA supports the credits in this rating system that require a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), specifically the Whole Building Life Cycle Analysis mandatory requirement and the Embodied Carbon credits.

Life-Cycle & Results Scope

One Click LCA supports the following life cycle stages relevant to IGBC Net Zero Carbon:

Embodied carbon across A1–A5 (product and construction stages), B4 (replacements), and C1–C4 (end-of-life stages)
Optional inclusion of D-stage benefits (reuse, recycling, energy recovery)
Operational energy and water consumption to support whole-life carbon balance
Results expressed as kg CO₂e/m² and total project emissions

Certification and compliance scope

Credits where One Click LCA directly supports compliance: MR 1 and EC CR 2. EC CR 1 (Green Procurement) may also be supported through Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) documentation for eco-labelled materials.

MR 1: Whole Building Life Cycle Analysis (mandatory)

Intent: Ensure the project carries out a whole building life cycle analysis to improve performance and reduce carbon emissions through the use of low-carbon materials and technologies.

Compliance requirement: Perform a whole building LCA per ISO 14040 and report:

Embodied carbon in kg CO₂e per m² (for the overall built-up area)
Operational carbon in kg CO₂e per year, over a minimum building lifespan of 50 years

LCA tool requirement: The LCA must be carried out using a standard, recognized software tool. One Click LCA satisfies this requirement.

Embodied carbon calculation scope:

All civil materials per the Bill of Quantities (BOQ), excluding finishing materials
Core and shell materials: cement, steel, concrete, glass, aluminium, blocks and bricks, ready-mix concrete (RMC), sand, tiles, stones, and marble
Transportation emissions from manufacturing plant to project site for each material
Embodied carbon data must be sourced from Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) or eco-labelling programs such as GreenPro or equivalent

EC CR 2: Embodied Carbon Reduction (up to 40 points)

Intent: Implement low-carbon strategies during design and construction to reduce embodied carbon relative to standard industry practice.

Compliance requirement:

Demonstrate that the proposed embodied carbon is ≤ 700 kg CO₂e/m² (benchmark), AND
Demonstrate a percentage reduction against the 700 kg CO₂e/m² benchmark

EC CR 1: Green Procurement (up to 20 points, Design and Construction phase)

Intent: Procure green products and materials for construction to reduce embodied carbon emissions.

Compliance requirement: Develop a green procurement policy covering civil and interior materials. Demonstrate that green materials (including EPD-certified or eco-labelled products, recycled content materials, C&D waste products, salvaged materials, and alternative materials) represent at least 10% of total material cost.

One Click LCA supports documentation of EPD-certified materials (GreenPro or equivalent) as part of the green procurement evidence base.

Note: MR 1 in the Operations phase carries the same LCA requirements as in the Design and Construction phase.

Environmental indicators to report

IGBC Net Zero Carbon requires reporting of:

Global Warming Potential (GWP) — expressed in kg CO₂e

GWP is the primary environmental indicator under this rating, consistent with its focus on achieving net zero carbon.

Data scope in the tool

One Click LCA integrates:

Indian-specific datasets where available
EPDs (EN 15804 / ISO-compliant) for construction products
Generic material databases for global coverage
Data input via BIM, Excel, or manual entry

Step 1: Create a project

Use the Level(s) Carbon tool. Set the project phase — Design and Construction or Operations — as the credit structure and mandatory requirements differ between them.

Step 2: Set building area

Define the Gross Floor Area (GFA) for normalisation of results to kg CO₂e/m². Note that unconditioned basement areas are excluded from EPI calculations per IGBC methodology.

Step 3: Set the calculation period

Set the building lifespan to a minimum of 50 years.

Step 4: Add materials

Limit the material scope to civil materials per the Bill of Quantities, excluding finishing materials and equipment (these are outside scope in the pilot version)
Import quantities via BIM, Excel, or manual entry
Assign EPDs or generic datasets to each material
Add transport distances from manufacturing plant to site for each material — this is a mandatory input under MR 1
Add wastage factors and service life where relevant

Step 5: Add operational data

Input annual operational energy use (electricity and fuel consumption, including petrol, diesel, CNG, and LPG) within the project boundary
Add renewable energy contributions (on-site generation and off-site purchases) to calculate the offset against total operational carbon
Add water consumption data to support Water Performance Ratio calculation

Step 6: Run calculations

One Click LCA calculates:

Embodied carbon (GWP) in kg CO₂e/m², covering civil materials and transportation emissions
Operational carbon in kg CO₂e/year over the 50-year reference period
Comparison of embodied carbon against the 700 kg CO₂e/m² benchmark
Percentage offset of operational carbon through renewable energy and sequestration

Step 7: Review embodied carbon results

Once calculated, review the total embodied carbon result in kg CO₂e/m²:

The proposed case must be ≤ 700 kg CO₂e/m² to satisfy the mandatory benchmark (EC CR 2)
Calculate the percentage reduction against 700 kg CO₂e/m² to determine points earned under EC CR 2
Document EPD-backed materials for EC CR 1 (Green Procurement) evidence