Embodied carbon refers to the total greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, transportation, and disposal of materials and products throughout their life cycle.
In the construction sector this concept is crucial in understanding the 'whole life' environmental impact of buildings. Some of the most widely used materials in construction such as concrete, masonry and steel can have a considerable embodied carbon footprint.
Embodied carbon makes up 20% of the UK’s built environment carbon emissions so it is important we are able to accurately understand the carbon impact of construction materials and design choices made across a building’s lifetime.
This new guide from the UK Green Building Council will help increase the accuracy of embodied carbon assessments by providing guidance on the embodied carbon modelling and reporting processes to enable greater transparency and clarity.
You can access this new guide here