Embodied carbon is the carbon dioxide/greenhouse gas emissions released during the manufacturing and usage of a product/service, particularly in construction. It includes emissions from extraction, transportation, manufacturing, maintenance, installation, and disposal of materials.
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Unlike operational carbon that relates to energy use during a building’s lifetime, embodied carbon is locked into materials before a structure is occupied. Therefore, understanding it is necessary if we want to design low-impact buildings with reduced lifecycle emissions and make more sustainable material choices.1-4
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What is Embodied Carbon and Why Does it Matter?
Embodied carbon adds up to millions of tons of emissions from the full lifecycle of building materials, from raw resource extraction all the way to disposal. It’s typically broken down into three stages: upfront, in-use, and end-of-life.
Upfront embodied carbon includes emissions from producing materials and constructing the building before it’s even used. In-use embodied carbon covers emissions from ongoing maintenance, repairs, and renovations throughout the building’s life. Then there’s end-of-life embodied carbon, which comes from tearing down a building, hauling away waste, and processing or disposing of materials when it's no longer in use.1-3
Upfront embodied carbon is especially significant, as it currently accounts for around 11 % of global emissions from new construction projects. And by 2050, it has been estimated that it could potentially account for half the total carbon footprint of newly built structures.
That’s a serious problem for climate goals because these emissions happen right away, putting immediate pressure on the remaining global carbon budget.1-3
It’s also important to be able to effectively distinguish embodied carbon from embodied energy.
Embodied energy tracks how much energy is used to make and use materials - but not whether that energy comes from fossil fuels or renewables. Embodied carbon, on the other hand, tells us the actual climate impact, reported as global warming potential (GWP) over 100 years (1 kg of CO2 = 1 kg CO2e).
While carbon sequestration and future disposal methods can be factored in, those end-of-life impacts are tough to predict accurately. What we do know is that common materials like concrete, steel, and insulation are major contributors. So, cutting down embodied carbon isn’t just an engineering issue anymore, it is now a priority for policymakers, material suppliers, and the entire construction industry.1-3
How Structural Design Shapes a Building’s Carbon Footprint
As buildings become more energy efficient and operational emissions drop, embodied carbon is making up a bigger share of their total carbon footprint. For example, in some highly efficient buildings, especially those powered entirely by renewables, embodied carbon accounts for all of their climate impact. That’s why structural engineers are now paying closer attention to the emissions tied to the materials they specify, even though using materials efficiently has always been a core part of good engineering.
It’s easy to assume that using more material always means a higher cost, but that’s not always the case. In fact, oversizing structural elements is a common way to simplify construction or reduce fabrication complexity - sometimes even resulting in cost savings. But this can lead to higher embodied carbon.
Engineers might unintentionally default to materials with bigger carbon footprints because they’re easier to work with or cheaper upfront. That mindset is shifting, though, as environmental performance becomes a formal part of the design brief. Engineers are now expected to weigh their material choices not just in terms of cost and practicality, but also their impact on architecture, systems coordination, and the environment.1,4
Every material, whether that be concrete, steel, timber, or masonry, comes with its own environmental cost, and the decisions made throughout a project shape its total impact. That’s where Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) comes in. LCA helps compare different structural systems by analyzing emissions across their full lifecycle.
When you take two or more functionally equivalent building designs, the same layout, size, and performance, and build them using different systems like steel, timber, or concrete, the differences in environmental impact become clear. Even if the designs aren’t fully optimized for each material, you still get meaningful comparisons. Studies show that timber systems often produce three times less embodied carbon than steel, and steel often performs better than concrete and masonry under similar conditions.1
These findings make a strong case that structural choices do matter. And LCA is a crucial tool, not just for picking between options, but for improving the design once a system is chosen. In new, energy-efficient buildings, embodied carbon often makes up around 50 % of total lifecycle emissions. Designers can bring that number down by aligning material decisions with client goals, sustainability standards, or carbon caps. With thoughtful design, low-embodied-carbon construction can be achieved at little or no extra cost and may even offer economic advantages.1,4
Cutting Embodied Carbon in Building Design
Reducing embodied carbon starts with smarter material choices. That means picking materials that are low-carbon, carbon-neutral, or even carbon-storing, like wood, hemp, straw, and bamboo, all of which naturally lock in carbon during growth. Using recycled or reclaimed materials also helps by avoiding the emissions tied to producing new ones.
There are also high-tech solutions in play. Tools like 3D modeling, prefabrication, and CNC (computer numerical control) machining mean that you can build efficiently with mass timber sourced from fast-growing, sustainably managed forests. These approaches help cut down on waste and improve precision during construction.
But it's not just about the materials that you use (although it does play a big part). It’s also about how buildings are designed. Features like modular construction, durability, and easy disassembly extend a building’s lifespan and make it easier to reuse or adapt in the future. Meanwhile, passive design strategies such as better insulation, natural lighting, and ventilation reduce the need for energy-hungry systems like HVAC, which in turn lowers overall emissions.
Put together, these choices help lower net embodied carbon, support deep energy retrofits, and make new buildings not just more efficient - but more climate-friendly over the long term.3
How Embodied Carbon is Being Regulated
Several key developments are accelerating the focus on the built environment’s embodied carbon. Formal European and global standards have established the foundation for life cycle greenhouse gas emission assessment of buildings and construction products. Building on these standards, organizations like the World Green Building Council and The Royal Institute of British Architects have created practical methods, guidelines, and tools to support their members.
These efforts are also strengthened by research initiatives like the International Energy Agency’s Energy in Buildings and Communities Program Annex 72 that develop robust methodologies and inform the next generation of standards and regulations.4
One of the biggest shifts is the rise of whole-life carbon (WLC) as a key metric in sustainability assessments. It’s not just about how a building performs while it's in use; now, the full carbon impact, from construction to demolition, is being factored in.
Governments are starting to act on this. Embodied carbon targets are now part of public procurement rules in some regions, and they’re influencing who gets access to subsidies. Thanks to frameworks like the EU Taxonomy, developers and buyers are also getting clearer data about a building’s carbon footprint before they commit.
Several countries, including France, Denmark, and Sweden, have already introduced binding carbon limits. Cities like London and Vancouver are also stepping up by requiring life cycle assessments as part of their approval process.4
Conclusion
Embodied carbon can seem like a technical detail tucked away in the background of building design, but it’s actually a big part of the climate story. It’s about the stuff we don’t usually see or think about: the emissions baked into concrete, steel, glass. The choices made long before a building is ever used.
What’s exciting is that this isn’t just a job for policymakers or senior engineers. If you’re someone studying design, architecture, or climate (or even just curious about how the built world works) this is something you can be part of. The systems are changing. New materials, better tools, and shifting expectations are opening the door for smarter, lower-impact ways to build.
You don’t have to have all the answers. But asking better questions, like where did this material come from? What happens to it after this building’s gone? - that’s where real change begins.
Want to Learn More?
If you’re curious about how the buildings around us impact the planet, here are a few more interesting reads for you to get stuck into:
References and Further Reading
- What is Embodied Carbon? [Online] Available at https://se2050.org/resources-overview/embodied-carbon/what-is-embodied-carbon/ (Accessed on 24 November 2025)
- Operational & Embodied Carbon [Online] Available at https://ukgbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/operational-and-embodied-carbon-1.pdf (Accessed on 24 November 2025)
- Rempher, A., Esau, R., Weir, M. (2023). Embodied Carbon 101: Building Materials [Online] Available at https://rmi.org/embodied-carbon-101/ (Accessed on 24 November 2025)
- Lützkendorf, T., Balouktsi, M. (2022). Embodied carbon emissions in buildings: explanations, interpretations, recommendations. Buildings & Cities, 3(1). DOI: 10.5334/bc.257, https://journal-buildingscities.org/articles/10.5334/bc.257
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