Background Information
Within GHG reporting and carbon accounting, emissions from construction materials refers to those associated with the production of materials purchased or used by the reporting company for infrastructure, building and construction purposes. These carbon emissions do not include emissions from the transportation of purchased materials to your business.
What can my business do to reduce carbon emissions from this category?
This category is largely controlled by procurement services and as such the most effective way to reduce emissions is to engage with your suppliers and implement changes within procurement.
Action | Detail |
Supplier engagement | Engage with your material suppliers, encouraging them to review their operating procedures and, initially, reduce their scope 1 and 2 emissions. Ask that they look introduce alternative low carbon components, ingredients or inputs to their products. |
Procurement policy and choices | Develop and implement a sustainable procurement policy focussed on low carbon/greener choices. |
Product and service design | Undertake Research & Development and adapt the design of your products and services to be more sustainable and aligned with a circular economy. |
Business model innovation | Innovative business models can reduce emissions associated with construction materials via greener design, longer life and more. |
Useful Resources
Source: The Good Homes Alliance
Sage Earth view: A great online library of best practice resources related to the development of sustainable housing.
Source: World Green Building Council
Sage Earth view: A 360 degree look at how you can rethink construction and the embodied carbon associated with it, it's a long read, but well worth it.
Source: UK Green Building Council
Sage Earth view: This link provides a good repository of information and resources to enable emissions reduction in the construction sector.
Source: MPA UK
Sage Earth view: The Mineral Products Association offers some very interesting information about concrete and its path to “net zero”. The feasibility of that is up for debate, but this guide offers some very interesting reading regarding the breakdown of emissions associated with concrete that could help you reduce emissions (page 5 for that).
Area of GHG Protocol
Scope 3.1. Purchased goods and services
Scope 3.11. Use of sold product
Scope 3.12. End of life treatment of sold products
🌍 Not every action suggested in this article will fit every business. Some can be implemented with relative ease, while others will require more time and investment. It's important to note that it may take some time to see a visible reduction in your reported emissions as a result of taking these actions (and that some will have a greater impact than others).
All additional resources suggested within this article are created and maintained by independent third parties. Sage Earth is not responsible for the content of any third party resources.