Embodied carbon

The greenhouse gas emissions arising from the use of a building or asset over its life, such as the energy consumed for heating, cooling, lighting and equipment. It is distinguished from embodied carbon; as buildings become more energy efficient, embodied carbon accounts for a growing share of whole-life emissions.

The sum of embodied and operational carbon over the full life cycle of a building or asset, from raw material extraction through use to demolition and disposal. In the UK it is commonly assessed using RICS whole life carbon guidance, which aligns with the framework of EN 15978.

An independently verified document that reports the environmental impacts of a product, based on a life cycle assessment carried out to agreed product category rules. For construction products, EPDs are typically produced to EN 15804, giving specifiers comparable data on embodied carbon and other impact categories.

A standardised method, set out in ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, for quantifying the environmental impacts of a product or system across its life, from raw material extraction through manufacture and use to end-of-life. LCA results underpin environmental product declarations and embodied carbon calculations used in material selection.

A measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere over a set time period relative to carbon dioxide, allowing emissions of different gases to be expressed as a single carbon dioxide equivalent figure. GWP is the headline indicator in most environmental product declarations and carbon footprint studies.