Lifecycle emissions
Keeping 1.5°C Alive: Closing the Gap in the 2020s, version 1.0, published by the Energy Transitions Commission in September 2021, defines lifecycle emissions as: ‘Emissions from the energy, material, and waste flows of a product and their impact on the environment. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) should take into account the greenhouse gas impacts across land use change (if applicable), growth, harvesting, transportation, conversion, and use of bioresources.’
Resource Efficiency and Climate Change, Material Efficiency Strategies for a Low-Carbon Future, published by the UN Environment Programme in 2020, defines life-cycle emissions The emissions associated with the entire life cycle of a product, including material production, construction, operations and disposal. Includes credit for replacing primary materials when recycling at the end-of-life of a product, and for the storage of carbon in wood. Also labelled as ‘systems-wide’ emissions. Here, they refer to the system-wide emissions associated with the production, operations, and disposal of the entire modelled product stock.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
Editor's broadbrush view on forms of electrical heating in context.
The pace of heating change; BSRIA market intelligence
Electric Dreams, Boiler Realities.
New President of ECA announced
Ruth Devine MBE becomes the 112th President of the Electrical Contractors Association.
New CIAT Professional Standards Competency Framework
Supercedes the 2019 Professional Standards Framework from 1 May 2025.
Difficult Sites: Architecture Against the Odds
Free exhibition at the RIBA Architecture Gallery until 31 May.
PPN 021: Payment Spot Checks in Public Sub-Contracts
Published following consultation and influence from ECA.
Designing Buildings reaches 20,000 articles
We take a look back at some of the stranger contributions.
Lessons learned from other industries.
The Buildings of the Malting Industry. Book review.
Conserving places with climate resilience in mind.
Combating burnout.
The 5 elements of seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke.
Shading for housing, a design guide
A look back at embedding a new culture of shading.
The Architectural Technology Awards
The AT Awards 2025 are open for entries!
ECA Blueprint for Electrification
The 'mosaic of interconnected challenges' and how to deliver the UK’s Transition to Clean Power.
Grenfell Tower Principal Contractor Award notice
Tower repair and maintenance contractor announced as demolition contractor.