Whole-life carbon

The greenhouse gas emissions associated with producing a material or product, covering raw material extraction, processing, manufacture and transport, and in whole-building assessments also construction, maintenance and end-of-life stages. It is expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent and is commonly reported through environmental product declarations.

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.

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 life cycle assessment boundary covering the full life of a product, from raw material extraction through manufacture, distribution and use to final disposal. It contrasts with cradle to gate, which stops at the factory, and with cradle to cradle approaches in which materials are recovered into new products instead of being disposed of.