Our 2023 Impact Report Is Out

Our 2023 Impact Report is out, showcasing the incredible progress we’ve made together. This isn’t just about our organization – it’s about the collective energy and achievements of our community and the movement as a whole.

Imagine a world where buildings are regenerative, products are sustainable, and our impact on the planet is positive. This is the vision we’re building, and our Impact Report lays out the powerful trends and patterns that fuel our journey.

At the heart of our work are frameworks that challenge the norm and redefine possibility. The Living Building Challenge, a global standard for regenerative design, sets the benchmark for a sustainable future. Our other programs – the Living Product Challenge, Zero Carbon, Zero Energy certifications, and the Declare and Just labels – are driving innovation across industries, creating a ripple effect of positive change.

Join us as we continue to push boundaries, accelerate progress, and shape a more sustainable world, together.

We are especially gratified to share some of the 2023 numbers and milestones. For example:

  • Products: We supported 370 manufacturers to publicly disclose ingredient information on 1,325 Declare labels (up 175 YoY) representing some 16,000 products across 25 product types. 
  • Buildings: We registered 65 projects for our building certifications (Living Building Challenge, Zero Carbon, and Zero Energy), and certified 20 projects, representing 3M sq. ft. (2x more than previous high). These diverse projects ranged from a 100 sq. ft. affordable housing project to an almost 1M sq. ft. hockey arena.
  • Critical Buildings: We engaged 7 new projects to participate in our Affordable Housing program, which now includes 64 registered projects located in 28 U.S. states and 1 Canadian province. With these new projects, totaling 500+ housing units, the cohort represents 3,000+ housing units that will provide healthy, efficient, and affordable housing for 9,000+ residents. 
  • Organizations: We engaged 62 new firms to start using the Just framework to evaluate their organization’s policies, practices, and  performance (up 15 YoY), and ended the year with 161 active Just labels. These labels represent a diverse range of organizations and a total of 36,000 employees (up 5,000 YoY), with organizational sizes varying from 2 to 8,500 employees. 

This is why we are doing this work. 

As our CEO, Lindsay Baker shares so eloquently in her letter in the report: 

“We are promoting a philosophy: to build in a way that is regenerative, not just sustainable. The Living Building Challenge can guide decision making. It is also an advocacy tool — a way to ask for the building that you want, the materials that you want, in the private and public sphere. It is also a certification, with all of the specific requirements and documentation that such a designation requires. The goal is to heal ecosystems, to make us healthier than before we entered the building, and to create good and healthy jobs that sustain families. This is the task of regeneration, which our planet calls upon us to do more deeply today than ever before.”

Ready to see the incredible things we’re accomplishing together? Dive into our Impact Report and witness the power of our collective efforts. Get inspired, and join us today by donating to make an even bigger difference!

RELATED LINKS
Celebrating Over 200 Certifications with Our 35th Living Building

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PHOTO CREDIT:
The “deckony” at the ZGF-designed PAE Living Building in Portland, Ore., is a fifth-floor oasis offering a multi-sensorial biophilic environment that invites people in with sweeping views, fresh air, and indoor-outdoor connectivity. © Benjamin Benschneider.

Written By

Benson Gabler

Benson is Vice President of Impact at the International Living Future Institute. In this role, Benson co-leads a department committed to inspiring, supporting, and celebrating hundreds of organizations pursuing our programs and positively impacting the world.