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Embodied Carbon: The Building Industry’s Overlooked Climate Challenge

Understanding embodied carbon is critical for a low-carbon future—learn why it's the building sector’s biggest blindspot and how to address it.

By Medha deb

Created on Sep 27, 2025

Understanding embodied carbon is critical for a low-carbon future—learn why it's the building sector’s biggest blindspot and how to address it.

In the push to achieve climate targets, many industries face scrutiny for their greenhouse gas emissions. The building sector stands at the center, not just because of the energy used to operate buildings, but increasingly due to embodied carbon—the emissions tied to materials and construction. Understanding and addressing this overlooked contributor is crucial for a sustainable future.

What Is Embodied Carbon?

Embodied carbon is the sum of greenhouse gas emissions associated with every stage in the life-cycle of building materials and construction processes. This includes:

Raw material extraction
Manufacturing processes
Transportation to site
Actual construction
Maintenance and renovation
End-of-life deconstruction and waste processing

Unlike operational carbon, which comes from running the building over its lifetime, embodied carbon is locked in as soon as the building is constructed and often goes unnoticed until it becomes too late to change.

Embodied Carbon vs. Operational Carbon: Key Differences

Embodied Carbon	Operational Carbon
Emissions from materials and construction	Emissions from energy used during the building’s lifetime
Locked in at time of construction	Can be reduced after occupancy
Requires early design & procurement decisions	Easier to monitor and upgrade

Advances in building efficiency and use of renewables have helped reduce operational emissions, making embodied carbon a growing share of a building’s total emissions footprint.

Why Is Embodied Carbon a Priority Now?

The built environment is responsible for nearly 40% of global CO₂ emissions, with embodied carbon expected to account for half of all new construction emissions by 2050.
Building stock worldwide is projected to double by 2060, meaning emissions from future materials and construction will vastly increase.
Major construction materials like cement and steel contribute disproportionately—cement alone emits 7% of global CO₂.
Unlike operational emissions, embodied carbon is largely irreversible; once a building is built, those emissions are locked in for decades.

Given these realities, reducing embodied carbon is an urgent climate imperative endorsed by organizations such as the Carbon Leadership Forum, SE2050 Challenge, and the World Green Building Council.

How Is Embodied Carbon Measured?

Embodied carbon is quantified as global warming potential (GWP), typically expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent units (CO₂e). Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the standard method:

It evaluates emissions released at every life-stage of a building material.
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) disclose key LCA results—much like nutrition labels for building materials—revealing impacts such as emissions, acidification, or ozone depletion.
Project teams use EPDs and LCA to guide choices that minimize embodied carbon.

Why Has Embodied Carbon Been Overlooked?

The building sector traditionally focused on energy efficiency and renewable sources to reduce operational emissions.
Decades of design and policy have prioritized upgrades like LED lighting, insulation, and high-efficiency HVAC—especially as grids get cleaner.
As operational emissions drop, embodied carbon becomes more visible, now accounting for up to half of a new building’s total climate impact in some regions.
Embodied carbon is complex and harder to measure, requiring comprehensive lifecycle thinking, data tracking, and industry-wide collaboration.

In places like Norway, Sweden, and Canada, operational emissions have dramatically reduced, causing a near-50/50 split between embodied and operational carbon. Yet, embodied carbon is often missing from climate policy, procurement standards, and even professional education.

The Scale of the Problem: Why Buildings Matter

Concrete, steel, insulation, aluminum, and glass are all major contributors—accounting for millions of tons of emissions each year.
Buildings are complex systems where material choices determine both upfront and lifetime emissions.
New construction, renovations, and retrofitting all present opportunities for material selection and re-use, but also risks of high embodied carbon if not managed well.

Key Sources of Embodied Carbon in Construction

Cement and Concrete: Used in foundations, floors, walls. Cement alone accounts for ~7% of global emissions.
Steel: Frames, beams, rebar.
Glass and Aluminum: Facades and windows.
Insulation and Plastics: Wall systems, energy upgrades can add more upfront carbon if not properly sourced.

Each material’s total impact depends on how it’s produced, transported, installed, and ultimately disposed of.

Reducing Embodied Carbon: Solutions and Strategies

Tackling embodied carbon is challenging but rapidly becoming feasible. Key strategies include:

Specifying low-carbon materials (such as low-clinker cement, recycled steel, sustainable timber).
Reusing and refurbishing existing buildings instead of demolishing and rebuilding.
Designing with less material: Efficient structures use fewer high-impact resources.
Using EPDs to compare and select lower-impact products.
Emphasizing local sourcing to cut transportation emissions.
Planning for end-of-life reuse or recycling to further cut lifetime carbon.

Industry organizations are calling for mandatory carbon disclosure, procurement standards, and joint efforts to halt new embodied carbon emissions by 2050.

Embodied Carbon in Policy and Procurement

Governments and municipalities increasingly require carbon accounting for public projects.
Procurement teams can set embodied carbon limits and demand EPDs from suppliers.
Design competitions and certification programs (like LEED and BREEAM) now reward reductions in upfront carbon.

The movement toward disclosure and carbon limits is helping standardize low-carbon construction and drive innovation throughout the supply chain.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the difference between embodied carbon and operational carbon?

Embodied carbon is the emissions locked into building materials during their production, transport, and installation, while operational carbon is the emissions from energy use (heating, cooling, lighting) during the building’s lifetime.

Why is embodied carbon so important now?

As operational emissions decline due to efficiency and renewables, embodied carbon becomes a bigger share of total building emissions—now projected to be half by 2050.

How can architects and builders reduce embodied carbon?

Select low-carbon materials using EPDs and LCA analysis.
Design for longevity, adaptability, and material efficiency.
Choose refurbishment over demolition, and plan for future reuse.

What materials are the biggest sources of embodied carbon?

Cement and concrete
Steel
Glass and aluminum

The manufacturing and transport of these high-impact materials generate the majority of emissions in new buildings.

Is embodied carbon measured the same way everywhere?

Most countries use life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate and report embodied carbon. EPDs provide standardized declarations, but local databases and regulations vary.

Next Steps: Industry Action and Future Outlook

The architecture, engineering, and construction sectors are forming collaborative groups to share data, tools, and best practices for embodied carbon reduction.
Innovative materials (such as carbon-sequestering biocomposites and advanced recycled steel) are gaining market share.
Governments are introducing or strengthening embodied carbon disclosure requirements and incentives.
Clients and investors increasingly demand transparency and sustainability throughout the building process.

The future of low-carbon building depends on early design choices, material transparency, and a strong commitment across the supply chain. Every architect, engineer, policymaker, and buyer has a role in solving this critical climate blindspot.

Conclusion: Making Embodied Carbon Visible and Actionable

Embodied carbon remains the building industry’s largest blindspot in the race to climate neutrality. As operational emissions decrease, the climate impact of materials is impossible to ignore. By prioritizing early lifecycle analysis, low-carbon procurement, policy leadership, and innovative engineering, the sector can cut emissions locked into the landscape for generations to come. The call to action is clear: decarbonize not only how we operate buildings, but how we build them in the first place.

References

Author

medha deb

Medha Deb is an editor with a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hyderabad. She believes that her qualification has helped her develop a deep understanding of language and its application in various contexts.

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