San Antonio Climate Ready, EPDs, and your next bid
San Antonio’s Climate Ready plan is being updated in August 2025. That puts new attention on both operational and embodied carbon in city work, and primes in the region will follow suit. If your products land on public projects, EPDs move from nice‑to‑have to table stakes, fast. Here is what matters, and how to prepare without slowing the business down.
Climate Ready in a nutshell, timing included
San Antonio’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan is moving through a formal update with milestones that include a Priority Plan submitted in March 2024 and a comprehensive update due August 2025 (City of San Antonio, 2025) citeturn0search0.
Why this raises the bar for materials
The city is already cutting operational carbon with a $30 million solar build across 42 facilities, expected to trim electricity use in city properties by 11% and avoid about 12,855 metric tons of CO2 each year (Axios, 2024) citeturn0news12. The municipal utility is seeking 400 megawatts of new wind, a 37% bump to its wind portfolio, signaling more low‑carbon power on the grid for years to come (San Antonio Express‑News, 2025) citeturn0news13. As operations get cleaner, attention naturally shifts to embodied carbon in concrete, steel, glazing, flooring, coatings, and insulation.
Where EPDs meet local procurement today
San Antonio maintains an Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Policy that encourages environmental attributes in contracts, though we could not find a citywide Buy Clean ordinance that mandates low‑embodied‑carbon materials as of December 30, 2025 (City of San Antonio, 2025) citeturn1search0. Expect project‑by‑project requests instead, especially where teams chase points or internal carbon budgets. Product‑specific, third‑party verified EPDs keep your submittals in the confident pile, not the maybe pile.
Codes you will see on plans and in RFQs
San Antonio adopted the 2021 IECC, effective in early 2023, which continues to drive better envelopes and systems in new work (ACEEE, 2023) citeturn2search2. In January 2025 the city adopted the 2024 ICC codes, effective May 1, 2025, with the energy code excluded from that cycle, so the 2021 IECC remains the local baseline for now (City Codes, 2025) citeturn2search0. For manufacturers, this means operations keep tightening, and embodied impacts get more scrutiny in design reviews.
What specifiers will ask for
Think of an EPD as the box score for your product. It lets a design team tally embodied carbon across trades without guesswork. When an RFP calls for documentation, a product‑specific EPD beats a generic by removing penalty factors and keeping you competitive on projects with carbon targets. Sales cycles shrink because reviewers do not need to chase clarifications.
A quick EPD play for San Antonio bids
- Map your top SKUs in local work, then check which competitors already publish product‑specific EPDs. Gaps here are missed specs.
- Confirm the right PCR. A good partner will benchmark the PCR used by competitors and flag expiries so you are not blindsided mid‑renewal.
- Lock a recent reference year and centralize plant data early, including utilities and scrap. Speed lives here.
- Package submittals with short cover notes that translate the EPD to project goals, like embodied carbon intensity and declared unit alignment.
Quality signals reviewers notice
Clean system boundaries, transparent allocations, and verification by a recognized program operator all help. If your product is brand‑new, a prospective EPD can get you in the door now, with a full update after twelve months of production data. Do not let perfect be the enemy of getting spec’d.
How this translates to revenue
Public owners and large primes in Bexar County have targets to hit, and picking a product with a verified EPD simplifies their accounting. That lowers the risk you are swapped for a rival at the eleventh hour. The cost of an EPD is often dwarfed by the margin from even one mid‑sized project win, and candidly, the projects you never see are the ones that hurt most.
One more local cue to watch
City procurement teams continue to refine advisory structures and reporting around the Climate Ready plan. As the 2025 update lands, expect clearer scoring for documentation in city solicitations. Have EPDs ready, tidy, and easy to read. It sounds obvious, but it is definately the edge when submittals are stacked on a Friday afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the status and timing of San Antonio’s Climate Ready plan update and why does it matter for manufacturers?
The Climate Action and Adaptation Plan update is due August 2025, following a March 2024 priority plan. As operations decarbonize through solar and wind expansions, embodied carbon in materials draws more attention in reviews and RFPs, making product‑specific EPDs a competitive must (City of San Antonio, 2025; Axios, 2024; San Antonio Express‑News, 2025).
Has San Antonio adopted any specific Buy Clean rules that require EPDs for city projects?
As of December 30, 2025, we could not find a citywide Buy Clean ordinance. The city does have an Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Policy that encourages environmental attributes, so EPDs still help in best‑value evaluations (City of San Antonio, 2025).
Which building energy code applies in San Antonio right now?
San Antonio uses the 2021 IECC, effective in early 2023. The city adopted 2024 ICC codes effective May 1, 2025, but excluded the energy code from that cycle, so 2021 IECC remains in force (ACEEE, 2023; City Codes, 2025).
About the Author
John brings a clear, research-driven perspective on the EPD, LCA and HPD space and keeps a close pulse on environmental trends and standards in North America, helping clients understand where the industry is heading and how to get there.
