Embodied carbon
‘Climate Emergency Design Guide: How new buildings can meet UK climate change’, published by the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) in January 2020 defines embodied carbon (EC) (or embedded carbon) as:
‘The carbon emissions associated with the extraction and processing of materials and the energy and water consumption used by the factory in producing products and constructing the building. It also includes the ‘in-use’ stage (maintenance, replacement, and emissions associated with refrigerant leakage) and ‘end of life’ stage (demolition, disassembly, and disposal of any parts of product or building) and any transportation relating to the above.’
It defines upfront embodied carbon as:
‘The carbon emissions associated with the extraction and processing of materials, the energy and water consumption used by the factory in producing products, transporting materials to site, and constructing the building.’
And whole life carbon (WLC) as including:
‘… embodied carbon, as defined above, and operational carbon. The purpose of using WLC is to move towards a building or a product that generates the lowest carbon emissions over its whole life (sometimes referred as ‘cradle-to-grave’).’
Embodied carbon may also be referred to as embodied emissions.
NB Redefining value, The manufacturing revolution, Remanufacturing, refurbishment, repair and direct reuse in the circular economy, published by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2018, suggests embodied material emissions: ‘Refers to the carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas equivalent emissions emitted during the extraction and primary processing stages of materials later used as inputs to OEM New and value-retention process production activities; ‘cradle-to-gate’ up until entering the production facility ‘gate’. Modeling of embodied material emissions uses a material-specific conversion (kgCO2-eq./unit), based on the global average for each material type, in accordance with the Inventory of Carbon and Emissions (ICE) (Hammond and Jones 2011).’
Embodied Carbon, The Inventory of Carbon and Energy (ICE), By Prof. Geoffrey Hammond and Craig Jones, Ed. Fiona Lowrie and Peter Tse, published by BSRIA in 2011, states embodied carbon (EC) is: ‘…the sum of fuel related carbon emissions (i.e. embodied energy which is combusted – but not the feedstock energy which is retained within the material) and process related carbon emissions (i.e. non-fuel related emissions which may arise, for example, from chemical reactions). This can be measured from cradle-to-gate, cradle-to-grave, or from cradle-to grave.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- An in-depth look at Environmental Product Declarations EPDs.
- BPIE report urges EU to incorporate the carbon footprint of construction into policy.
- BS EN 15978-1.
- BSRIA Whitepaper on Embodied Carbon NZG 4/2023
- Carbon dioxide.
- Carbon footprint.
- Climate change act.
- Climate change science.
- Climate Emergency Design Guide.
- Cradle to grave.
- Dr. Natasha Watson; UK lead for embodied carbon at Buro Happold.
- Embedded carbon emissions.
- Embodied energy.
- EN 15804+A1 2012.
- Environmental product declaration EPD.
- Greenhouse gas.
- Life Cycle Carbon Emissions.
- Mandatory and optional environmental impact categories.
- Optional environmental impact categories.
- PHribbon tool calculates embodied carbon of designs.
- Product Environmental Footprint PEF.
- Product category rules PCR.
- RICS launches new global edition of its ground-breaking Whole Life Carbon Assessment standard.
- Sustainable procurement.
- Sustainability in building design and construction.
- The sustainability of construction works.
- Upfront emissions.
- Use stage embodied carbon.
- Wood, embodied carbon and operational carbon.
- Whole life carbon.
Featured articles and news
Plumbing and heating for sustainability in new properties
Technical Engineer runs through changes in regulations, innovations in materials, and product systems.
Awareness of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
What CBAM is and what to do about it.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.
The changed R&D tax landscape for Architects
Specialist gives a recap on tax changes for Research and Development, via the ACA newsletter.
Structured product data as a competitive advantage
NBS explain why accessible product data that works across digital systems is key.
Welsh retrofit workforce assessment
Welsh Government report confirms Wales faces major electrical skills shortage, warns ECA.
A now architectural practice looks back at its concept project for a sustainable oceanic settlement 25 years on.
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
Government report and back track on copyright opt out for AI training but no clear preferred alternative as yet.
Embedding AI tools into architectural education
Beyond the render: LMU share how student led research is shaping the future of visualisation workflows.
Why document control still fails UK construction projects
A Chartered Quantity Surveyor explains what needs to change and how.
Inspiration for a new 2026 wave of Irish construction professionals.
New planning reforms and Warm Homes Bill
Take centre stage at UK Construction Week London.