Last edited 11 Dec 2018

Cradle-to-grave

The term ‘cradle-to-grave’ is an approach to defining the boundaries of an embodied energy assessment which involves measuring or estimating the total energy consumed in through the entire life-cycle of a product (such as a building, or its individual components). This may include gas energy, electricity, oil, and so on, but can also include features that may not be as easy to quantify, such as water use and ecological impact.

The boundaries of the assessment in terms of ‘cradle-to-grave’ extend from the extraction of the resources required to create the product (‘cradle’) through its use phase, to its ultimate disposal (‘grave’) - in other words the total amount of embodied energy that the product ‘consumes’ during its full life cycle.

A cradle-to-grave assessment can help develop a holistic view of a project and its embodied energy, but it can be difficult to estimate accurately.

Embodied energy consumption can be divided into the following categories:

Initial embodied energy (‘cradle’): Energy needed to produce the product (including extraction, processing, manufacturing, transporting, assembly, and so on).
Recurring embodied energy: Maintenance and refurbishment during its life-cycle.
Demolition energy (‘grave’): Demolition and disposal of the product and the energy required.

It is important to note that a cradle-to-grave assessment of embodied energy excludes the energy required to actually operate the product, such as the energy required to heat, cool, light or power a building.

Other boundaries used for the assessment of embodied energy include ‘cradle-to-gate’, and ‘cradle-to-cradle.’