Spec Finish

are useful at the early design stage when the person carrying out the assessment does not know exactly which product will be used. There are also a number of product specific EPD available. Those are published through manufacturers’ and programme operators’ (ie: the organisation that issued the EPD) websites. EPD results are specific to the product that has been assessed on the certificate and should really be used towards the later stage of the design stage, when the team has made a decision on which product will be used. However, the other information required to carry out a whole life carbon assessment can be harder and time consuming to obtain, such as the distance the products travelled to site. There are no mandatory requirements to carry out an embodied carbon study, apart from the planning application process for referral schemes to the Greater London Authority. However, there is a growing interest in the industry to push for measurement. This is linked to the realisation that embodied carbon is related to the carbon emissions generated today and it represents a significant proportion of the UK carbon footprint. Industry groups are lobbying the Government to include embodied carbon in building regulations (see: Part Z 4 initiative) and a bill to include whole life carbon assessment for all buildings was presented to the Government in 2022. In January, the Future Homes Hub published its roadmap 5 to reducing the whole life carbon of new homes. RICS, together with The Carbon Trust, BRE, RIBA, CIBSE, CIC, ICE, IStructE, CIOB and UKGBC are driving an initiative, the Building Environment Carbon Database (BECD), to create two databases: one for the embodied carbon of products and the other for buildings. Other countries in Europe, such as France, are already regulating the need to measure and reduce. Initiative shown by FIS members There is little doubt that the demand will increase in the industry in the UK with or without Government requirements. Some FIS members, such as Morgan Sindall, have launched initiatives like the “10 Tonne Carbon Challenge 6 ” which empowers project teams to work with their supply chain to find ways to reduce carbon on projects. Some clients have published their net zero plan. Grosvenor’s plan, called “our pathway to a better future – think zero”, set out their ambition to reducing the embodied carbon of their development to be below 500kgCO 2 eq/ m 2 from 2025. The Better Building Partnership has 37 signatories (mostly large real estate companies representing 11,000 properties) to their Climate Commitments 7 which recognises that change needs to happen in the industry and there is a need to work towards net zero carbon buildings (including operational and embodied carbon). Their ambition is not only for new buildings, but also applies to refurbishment and fit-out projects. Discussions in our sector In the fit-out sector, it is more likely that discussions will be around embodied carbon rather than whole life carbon as the opportunities to influence the operational performances of a building might be limited. However, if there are opportunities to improve the energy efficiency, the operational carbon emissions should be balanced against the embodied carbon results. While most of the discussions on embodied carbon are around new build, the fit-out industry also needs to start measuring. It is harder for fit-out projects to set benchmark to understand what good looks like as the scope of fit-out projects is very wide. It can vary from some light touch painting to full refurbishment of a building that is completely gutted. However, it is important that the measurement takes place as new buildings should be built to last several years, existing buildings get refurbished every five to seven years on average. In 2022, the FIS published a document to provide guidance on how to measure the embodied carbon of fit-out projects 8 . The paper written by FIS was supported by members of the FIS Sustainability Leadership group and provides guidance on the scope of the study, the study period, sources of data and what elements to include. To be of real value, embodied carbon studies should be carried out alongside the design stages to support decisions. At the start of a project, there might be little information available on materials and large assumptions might be made, but as the design progresses, the model might be refined. Early design decisions can lead to large savings and as the design progresses, the choice of materials might influence the results. Another issue for the fit-out sector is the speed at which projects progress. There is little time to stop and reflect, which means that it might be hard to really reflect on the results obtained from an embodied carbon (or whole life carbon) study. 1. www.ukgbc.org/ukgbc-work/net-zero-carbon- buildings-a-framework-definition 2. https://tinyurl.com/2a6yk9at 3. www.circularecology.com/embodied-carbon- footprint-database.html 4. www.part-z.uk 5. https://tinyurl.com/4am9afhf 6. www.morgansindallconstruction.com/news/ rising-to-the-10-tonne-carbon-challenge 7. www.betterbuildingspartnership.co.uk/ member-climate-change-commitment 8. www.thefis.org/knowledge-hub/ sustainablility/sustainability-related-to- your-activities/net-zero James Upstill-Goddard , Sustainable Supply Chain Lead at Willmott Dixon, explains the importance of embodied carbon assessments on their projects: “Willmott Dixon’s Now or Never strategy, published in 2020, sets out our ambition to deliver all buildings and major refurbishments with net zero embodied carbon by 2040. We have also committed to achieving a net reduction in embodied carbon of 55% of 2020 levels by 2030. Measuring the embodied carbon of the products and materials that come to our sites, and the carbon emissions resulting from our construction processes on site is critical to achieving these objectives.” Senior Sustainability Manager at Willmott Dixon Interiors, Kavita Ramchandra , adds that while embodied carbon emissions from Fixtures, Finishes and Equipment (FF&E) may seem an uncharted landscape, there are already some manufacturers leading the way by offering Environmental Product Declarations: “We encourage our suppliers to provide EPD and carbon data for their products so that we can understand an embodied carbon emissions in purchased materials and products and seek opportunities to reduce. This allows project planning to look at the big picture, so we can take steps to reduce waste, reuse existing materials and prioritise longevity, adaptability, disassembly and reuse at the design stage to reduce the impact of embodied carbon impacts across the whole life cycle. We work with our supply chain to ensure materials are sourced sustainably, using take back schemes where we can to return packaging to suppliers where possible for recycling, aligning with the circular economy's principles. We therefore play our part in safeguarding natural resources, delivering value to our customers, improving resource efficiency, ensuring our processes aid traceability, transparency in procurement, positively enhancing biodiversity and minimizing impacts to the environment”. www.willmottdixoninteriors.co.uk Sustainability www.thefis.org 21