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<aside> <img src="/icons/wall_gray.svg" alt="/icons/wall_gray.svg" width="40px" /> EMBODIED CARBON emissions are associated with energy consumption (embodied energy) and chemical processes during the extraction, manufacture, transportation, assembly, replacement and deconstruction and end-of-life treatment.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/battery-charging_gray.svg" alt="/icons/battery-charging_gray.svg" width="40px" /> OPERATIONAL emissions are associated with energy consumption (operational energy) while the building is occupied, e.g. heating, cooling, lighting and appliances.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/thinking_gray.svg" alt="/icons/thinking_gray.svg" width="40px" /> WHOLE-LIFE CARBON (WLC) = Embodied Carbon + Operational Carbon. The carbon emissions resulting from the materials, construction and use of a building over its entire life, including its demolition and disposal. Other terms used are lifecycle carbon or cradle-to-grave carbon.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/school_green.svg" alt="/icons/school_green.svg" width="40px" /> LOW-CARBON BUILDING is one that optimises the use of resources both to build it and to use it over its lifetime by reducing both operational and embodied emissions, in particular those related to the manufacturing of the construction materials.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/factory_gray.svg" alt="/icons/factory_gray.svg" width="40px" /> UPFRONT CARBON emissions are released during the materials production and construction phases.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/hammer_gray.svg" alt="/icons/hammer_gray.svg" width="40px" /> USE STAGE CARBON EMBODIED emissions are associated with materials and processes needed to maintain the building or infrastructure during use, such as for refurbishments.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/sync_gray.svg" alt="/icons/sync_gray.svg" width="40px" /> END-OF-LIFE CARBON emissions are associated with deconstruction/ demolition, transport from site, waste processing and disposal of a building or infrastructure.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/mathematics_gray.svg" alt="/icons/mathematics_gray.svg" width="40px" /> LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) is a methodology for emission analysis that can be done with various scopes (cradle to gate, gate to grave, etc). It is worth noting that, generally, LCAs serve to measure a wide array of environmental impacts. However, in the context of this study, we refer to the part of the analysis that looks at greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted during a building’s lifecycle and their global warming potential, and therefore their contribution to climate change.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/pull-request_gray.svg" alt="/icons/pull-request_gray.svg" width="40px" /> WLC ASSESSMENT (WLCA) is a study that uses LCA methodology to analyse the whole-life carbon of a building.
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This report takes a wide look at the current state of embodied carbon at EU level. Its overall aim is to provide a foundational terms of reference on where we find ourselves, in order to make it clearer where we need to go from here.
Accounting for and setting limit values for embodied carbon is a critical part of the EU's ongoing efforts to reduce the Union's carbon footprint and achieve climate goals. Buildings account for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in the EU [1]. Of these emissions, embodied carbon is estimated to make up 10-25% of the total carbon footprint of buildings. This proportion is higher in new buildings and generally increases as energy efficiency reduces the proportion of operational emissions.
In order to achieve a building sector with net zero emissions by 2050, which is necessary to meet the EU's climate goals, all new buildings and renovation projects must take embodied carbon into account. Two-thirds (65%) of Europe's building stock was built before 1980 and approximately 97% of the EU's buildings need to be upgraded to reach the 2050 target [1]. A huge renovation wave is before us.
In this first chapter we take a closer look at what embodied carbon is and why it matters that we tackle it.
Embodied carbon is an emission category that includes the CO2 footprint of the ingredients and processes included in manufacturing a product (so-called upfront carbon), as well as the emissions resulting from such a product's end-of-life treatment or disposal process (so called end-of-life carbon).
Embodied carbon differs from operational carbon or operational emissions, which is the carbon emitted when a product or building is used, for example from heating, cooling, or lighting in a building. In other words, embodied carbon are all the emissions that are linked to or that are "included in" a specific good, minus operational carbon.
Together, embodied carbon and operational carbon make up the entire climate footprint or life-cycle emissions of, for example, a building (see Figure 1). This is also known as 'Whole-Life Carbon' (WLC).