Reducing Embodied Carbon to Meet Climate Targets

Commercial real estate is working on several strategies to deal with climate change. One of these is by reducing operational emissions. According to an article published by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), energy programs like LEED and Energy Star, along with ASHRAE 90.1 standards, are only part of the scenario. “operational emissions reductions . . . may not suffice to meet the ambitious climate targets set for 2030 and 2050,” the article noted.

So what can help? Two words: embodied carbon. “Embodied carbon . . . is predominantly emitted during the manufacturing and construction of building materials and products,” the article noted. Embodied carbon takes a fast trip into the atmosphere. Because of this, paying attention to embodied carbon is as important as attempting to reduce operational emissions.

Outlining the Embodied Carbon Issues

The USGBC, in partnership with independent nonprofit RMI, released a report, “Driving Action on Embodied Carbon in Buildings.” In discussing embodied carbon, the information explained that this is released during “the life cycle of building products,” with that life cycle including “raw material extraction, refining and manufacturing, transport, construction and final disposal.”

Put another way, building operations account for about 30% of annual energy-related emissions. “Yet that figure doesn’t capture the full climate footprint of buildings,” the report explained. Embodied carbon accounts for 11% of global annual energy-related emissions.

Questions to be Answered

In discussing strategies to reduce embodied carbon emissions, USGBC and RMI answered specific questions, including prioritization. In other words, should operational or embodied emissions be on the front burner? The simple answer is both. “It is possible to achieve excellent climate performance in embodied and operational emissions without pitting one against the other,” the report explained.

The appropriate follow-up question was what needs to be done to reduce embodied carbon. The report suggested the following:

• Reuse an entire building and components of a deconstructed building

• Limit the scope of any renovation to what is specifically needed and rely on salvaged materials

• Optimize building size by minimizing excess space. Even better, design with better scheduling or dual-use spaces

• Consider using responsibly sourced materials that do a better job of storing, rather than releasing, carbon

• Encompass circular design by focusing on reuse, recycling and durability of materials

CRE and the built industry are at the beginning of the embodied carbon learning curve, but adoption should be accelerated in its reduction. “Successful decarbonization requires collective industry action from multiple players,” the report explained. “The whole industry must collaborate to continually improve embodied carbon data, develop standards, fill gaps and unify tools and databases.”