Reducing Global Carbon Emissions – Design Middle East
Embodied carbon and the construction industry’s role in reducing global carbon emissions Reducing Global Carbon Emissions.
BY MATTHEW ANTHONY Associate – Advisory at AECOM
The chances are that you are reading this article on an electronic device rather than in printed form. But which medium produces the least carbon emissions? You may firstly think the electronic device is the least sustainable way to read the article as it requires power to operate, so you may reasonably conclude that the printed matter is responsible for less carbon emissions, however, it is not as simple as that when you consider the embodied carbon. A study by Alma in Finland determined that it takes between 150-190kg of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent, the common scale for measuring the climate effects of different gases) to produce a newspaper or magazine. Apple, the producer of iPads on which millions of publications are read every day, claim that the total lifecycle emissions of a typical model is 130kg CO2e of which only 30% are associated with customer use (iPad Environmental Report, Apple). There are many factors that could influence these findings, such as where the energy is sourced for production and the use of sustainable materials. So, whilst these figures cannot be taken as absolutes, they do provoke holistic thinking about carbon emissions.
It also suggests that whilst the printed media may have zero ‘operational’ emissions, its carbon footprint can be higher than an electronic device. Turning this thinking to the built environment, we know that this sector has an important role to play in reducing global emissions. According to the World Green Building Council and the UN Environment Global Status Report, buildings are currently responsible for 39% of global emissions; 28% from operational emissions from energy required to heat, cool and power them and 11% from materials, construction and maintenance activity. These figures are not likely to decline either. As the world’s population continues to grow, the International Energy Agency predicts that the total global building stock will double by 2050. Plans for action achieving net-zero carbon emissions have been announced by governments and organizations worldwide. However, if these targets are going to be met, the embodied carbon responsible for 11% of global emissions from the construction industry alone must be understood, measured, and minimized where possible.
EMBODIED CARBON IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The lifecycle carbon impact of a building can be split into four stages: production, construction, operation and end-of-life. The production stage accounts for approximately 33% of a building’s carbon impact and includes the extraction of raw materials, transportation and manufacturing into buildings products. The construction stage accounts for a further 8%, and includes all construction activity, including transport of materials and labor to site, installation and commissioning. This means that before a building is ready for occupation, it has already incurred approximately 41% of the total carbon impact ‘upfront’. During occupation, we enter the operation stage where all direct emissions from energy consumption are incurred, accounting for around 42% of lifecycle carbon impact, with embodied carbon seen in maintenance, repair, refurbishment and asset replacement activity accounting for a further 11%. The remaining 6% of carbon impact is found in the end-of-life stage where demolition, waste processing and disposal is undertaken. The greatest potential for a reduction in the carbon impact of a project is therefore found not only in the operation stage, but in the design stage where upfront carbon can be reduced. Research by C40 Cities, Arup and the University of Leeds suggest ways in which a reduction in embodied carbon can be achieved and highlights the importance of switching to lower carbon materials and using materials more efficiently to reduce the upfront carbon incurred. This can only be substantially achieved with an understanding of a material’s embodied carbon, quantified by an embodied carbon assessment. More general practices during the design stage can be implemented, such as decreasing reliance on duplication in specifications and ensuring buildings are not over-specified either for intended loads or use.
MEASUREMENT CHALLENGES
There is currently a reliance on stated embodied carbon quantification from environmental information on the lifecycle of a product, for which a standardized Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) process has been outlined by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) in ISO 14025. However, there are several challenges with using EPDs, not least because they are constantly being updated as manufacturing processes and material selections change, resulting in complex and inconsistent databases. Further complications are found in the methodology for creating an EPD, which relies on the definition of the product using appropriate Product Category Rules (PCRs) that use Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies. LCA studies vary in terms of assumptions and considerations depending on the availability of data and can therefore lead to inconsistencies in comparing products that fulfil the same function. Factors such as location, production methods, supply chain conditions and lack of third-party review create additional inconsistencies in EPDs that see various databases being used and no clear benchmark data available.
DEMAND AND PRACTICE IN THE UAE
In the UAE, the Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) is taking the lead in establishing working groups and raising awareness of embodied carbon in the construction industry, but they acknowledge there is a way to go. The EGBC Embodied Carbon Working Group has been formed to provide useful guidance to the industry with the aim that some legislation may follow to compel the sector to meet targets. While no specific legislation exists, the UAE National Climate Change Plan (2017-2050) and a recent declaration of UAE becoming a net zero carbon country by 2050 – the first Middle East country to make such an announcement – provides a framework to which the issue of embodied carbon cannot be ignored if these targets are to be achieved. The plan itself, which does not explicitly mention embodied carbon, positions the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment as leader in raising awareness in partnership with stakeholders to act. Perhaps the most exciting opportunity to incentivize embodied carbon reduction is found within project financing, where performance against sustainability goals influence the interest rates available and access to loans. Widely referred to as ‘Sustainability Linked Loans (SLL)’ and guided by principles such as those published by the Loan Market Association (Sustainability Linked Loan Principles, May 2021), these financial products reward borrowers for achieving pre-determined sustainability targets, which rely on the ability to measure, quantify and convey performance against them. This way of financing also meets the ESG demands of lenders who are under scrutiny for lending to fossil fuel industries. In the Middle East, Aldar Properties announced in July 2021 that they secured a 300 million AED SLL with HSBC linked to KPIs, becoming the first MENA company to do so.
SUMMARY
Conversations around reducing our carbon impact are usually focused on emissions resulting from direct user activity. We all need to drive and fly less, use less electricity, produce electricity from sustainable sources, recycle and reuse where possible. However, the traditional focus on operational carbon reduction and a misunderstanding of the true impact of embodied carbon remains and needs to be addressed. Direct emissions from any built asset can be roughly equivalent to the embodied carbon incurred ‘upfront’ during the manufacturing and construction phase alone – and continue to be incurred throughout the asset’s lifecycle. The need for the industry to understand, measure and reduce embodied carbon to meet the demands of an informed client is therefore critical to the effort to reduce global carbon emissions if current targets are to be met. Raising awareness of the issue is just the first step
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Dr. Linen to launch bed linen made of carbon neutral fibers for the hospitality industry
Dr. Linen, an innovative product developed by Rent-A-Towel, a Dubai-based linen rental service provider, is launching an all new range of bed linen made using carbon zero TENCEL™ fibers. TENCEL™, a textile specialty brand of the Austria-based Lenzing Group and a global leader in wood-based fibers, has recently developed this product exclusively with Dr. Linen for the hospitality market.
Dr. Linen’s product portfolio boasts a range of bed and bath linen, made of TENCEL™ -branded lyocell fibres, which are sourced from sustainably managed forests. The products are a perfect blend of aesthetics and functionality, boasting unique microbial resistance, durability, and comfort.
The bed linen range which is certified for usage of carbon zero TENCEL™ fibers by Lenzing lab is in recognition of Dr. Linen’s commitment to the issuer’s True Carbon Zero initiative, which supports taking climate action with science-based intervention, and setting CO2 emission reduction targets, in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs). The initiative is particularly focused on SDG-7, affordable and clean energy; SDG-13, climate action; and SDG-17, partnerships for the goals.
“Helmed by the Lenzing Group’s TENCEL™, True Carbon Zero is a first-of-its-kind, global initiative by a cellulosic fibre producer, aimed at lowering carbon footprint across the value chain, from sourcing to life-cycle management. We have a clear roadmap for 50% CO2 emission reduction by 2030 and for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with a three-step plan of reducing, engaging, and offsetting,” said Avinash Mane, Commercial Director for Lenzing fibres in South Asia & Middle East.
Characterised by environmentally responsible sourcing, use of renewable energy, and closed-loop production, TENCEL™ -branded fibres have sustainability embedded, throughout the end-to-end process. In conjunction with verified climate protection projects, and partnerships with impact-driven organizations, TENCEL™ is poised to create a revolution, which Dr. Linen is proud to propel in the UAE and the rest of the Middle East.
“Dr. Linen’s “True Carbon Zero” adoption comes just as the regional hospitality sector gears up for post-pandemic reopening and Expo-driven demand. This is a timely opportunity for hotels to expedite their net-zero carbon pursuits, and keep pace with increasing sustainability regulations. Dr. Linen’s product-service model, which offers bacterial resistant, premium, and durable linen for lease, is a godsend to hoteliers hoping to save on new linen investments and simultaneously deliver superior experiences to guests. By Adopting to Dr. Linen bed Linen, hotelier will part of our True Carbon Zero initiative,” said Ram Mohan, Ram Mohan, Founder | COO, Rent A Towel and Dr.Linen.
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Cundall achieves world-first carbon neutral certification
Global multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy, Cundall, was certified carbon neutral in September – the first consultancy in the world to achieve this Carbon Trust certification.
All direct emissions resulting from the business, indirect emissions from the purchase of electricity, and all business travel are included in the calculation of the practice’s carbon footprint across all its offices in MENA, United Kingdom, Asia, Australia, Europe, and Ireland.
In order to meet the requirements of the internationally accepted PAS 2060 Standard for carbon neutrality, Cundall undertook a detailed carbon footprint analysis of its entire business operations and set science-based targets to achieve absolute reduction against all three scopes approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative.
The business started by improving the operational efficiency of its offices by reducing demand for energy and business travel within the business. It then improved the efficiency of lighting, controls and metering across all its offices, as well as opting for low-carbon transport alternatives. The business then purchased renewable electricity for its tenancies and negotiated with its landlords to do the same. As a final step – and last resort – Cundall purchased accredited and credible carbon offsets with environmental and social benefits to offset any remaining emissions.
Achieving carbon neutrality across the entire business is the first step in Cundall’s ambition of becoming a carbon positive business by 2025. This target was originally established in 2012, when Cundall became the world’s first consultancy to be formally endorsed as a One Planet Company by sustainability charity, BioRegional. Since then, the business has become a founding signatory of the World Green Building Council’s (WGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, and further confirmed its commitment to climate positive action by working with its clients to deliver net zero carbon buildings.
Cundall Australia has led this charge by achieving net zero carbon certification for its Australian offices under the Climate Active program in 2019. Now, Cundall Global has been certified against the internationally recognised PAS 2060 standard across its worldwide operations by the Carbon Trust. Cundall Global intends to continue reducing its emissions and lowering the need for offsets in the coming years, as well as delivering net zero carbon buildings and infrastructure.
Tomás Neeson, Managing Partner at Cundall, said: “This is an important milestone for our business, but it is not the end of the journey. We are dedicated to being a world leader in sustainability, and achieving carbon neutrality across our entire business is just the first step of many that we will take to ensure that we lead by example and help the built environment meet its net zero carbon responsibilities. This includes working with clients and our industry peers to set the standard for achieving net zero carbon in every aspect of our work – from design and material selection, to construction, operation, and end of building life.
“The purchase of offsets is a short-term solution, and we are dedicated to becoming a carbon positive business by 2025 by continuing to address our whole carbon footprint and reducing our emissions until the need to offset is eliminated. For now, we have ensured that we are investing in the most credible and ethical offsets available.
“Earlier this year, we named 2020 ‘The Year of Net Zero’, and we had high hopes for what the industry could achieve over this 12-month period. While Covid-19 has certainly altered the course of the conversation, we believe we can still achieve what we set out to do, starting with this investment in our own net zero future.”
Hugh Jones, Managing Director Business Services at the Carbon Trust, said: “We are pleased to have certified Cundall as carbon neutral and are happy to see it has achieved its 2020 carbon neutrality goal as part of its commitment to sustainability. We hope other consultancies are inspired to follow suit.”