Embodied carbon
What are embodied carbon and operational carbon?
‘Embodied carbon’ in this context represents the CO2 emitted from the production, transportation and removal of building materials throughout the building process.
This includes the CO2 emitted during the deconstruction and disposal processes required at the end of a building’s lifetime.
The significance of measuring this cannot be understated, since cement makes up roughly 7% of global CO2 emissions.1
‘Operational carbon’ refers to the carbon produced from the use of the building.
The majority of changes around carbon focused on reducing operational carbon. This is changing, with attention being given to embodied carbon and how it can be minimised.
Reducing both embodied and operational carbon will help limit global temperature increase, assisting the UK in hitting climate targets.
Embodied carbon can be compared for different materials and construction methods, allowing developers to make informed choices around their construction practices.
It is vital that these aspects are considered from the start of the process, as most of the building’s embodied carbon is produced at the beginning of construction, during the production and construction phases.
- https://www.iea.org/news/cement-technology-roadmap-plots-path-to-cutting-co2-emissions-24-by-2050