Embodied carbon
Embodied carbon is the greenhouse gas emitted in producing, transporting and assembling a building’s materials, as opposed to the emissions from running it.
Also known as embodied emissions, embodied CO2, upfront carbon, carbon footprint of buildings, whole life carbon
As buildings become more energy efficient in use, a growing share of their lifetime emissions comes before anyone moves in: from making cement, steel, insulation and glass, from transport, and from the construction process itself. Several countries now require it to be calculated and declared.
Material choice has the largest effect. Timber structures generally have lower embodied carbon than concrete or steel equivalents, and wood stores carbon for the life of the building. Efficient production that reduces waste and rework also lowers the total.
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