Carbon calculation tool aims to help construction address climate impact

Minimising the embedded carbon in construction is urgent, and a newly launched tool aims to transform the high-carbon reputation of the sector. New Zealand has made an international commitment to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to 50% below the country’s gross 2005 levels by 2030.

But significant and expensive offshore action will be required for the country to hit its first Paris Agreement target in 2030, according to a paper taken to Cabinet by former climate change minister James Shaw earlier this year.

At the same time, only 18% of all companies globally were on track to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, a new report from global consulting firm Accenture showed.

With the built environment responsible for 20% of New Zealand’s carbon emissions, there was growing acceptance from the construction sector that it had a responsibility to address the issue.

But Netz Global co-founder Jonas Brodie said there was a lack of standardised methods and tools for calculating and reporting embedded carbon in the construction sector.

“That makes the process too mysterious, protracted and complicated, and reliable data on the carbon intensity of different materials and products is also limited,” he said.

Frustration at the situation, and the realisation the industry needed to make its own change led Brodie, a workplace

strategy and design specialist, to develop a solution with his business partner.

The solution, Netz Global, allowed designers to measure and cut back embedded carbon in internal building projects, whether new or a refurbishment, while adding value to a property.

To do so, it focused on pre-construction strategy and design, analysed per square metre and fit-out options, and estimated embedded carbon for different property options.

It also enabled collaboration with design teams for progressive carbon costing, and tracked carbon emissions reduction through material choices.

Brodie said the process could result in up to 50% reduction in embedded carbon, and at the end of the process, the build project was independently certified by a globally recognised certification partner.

The remaining embodied carbon was then offset with carbon credits purchased on the international or local markets.

The measuring process and carbon offset costs amounted to about 1.5% to 4% of the total project investment, depending on the certification process and carbon offset decision, he said.

“Making a meaningful, measurable difference in your building’s carbon footprint doesn’t have to add to design programmes or be cost-prohibitive.

“We can simply tell you what your project means for the climate, and where real improvements can be made.”

It would give property owners clarity in deciding how to build or upgrade their assets, and positively influence property value, balance sheets, and tenant attraction, he said.

A partner business, Studio DB, had used the tool on the refits of two of its offices. Both went through a full building consent process, and were now net carbon zero certified by Toitū Envirocare.

Brodie said there was overseas interest, and the company was working with a United States company that was developing a sustainable campus in San Francisco.

The only way New Zealand would reach its 2030 emission goals was with public sector involvement, but there was a need for industry regulation and government support for this type of work, he said.

“We know from global examples that high-level incentives make a tremendous difference in how business approaches carbon management.

“We will be approaching policymakers and potential regulators to discuss how this new branch of sustainability can be managed in the construction sector in accordance with international best practice.”