Embodied carbon reduction challenge: Cutting through the greenwash to make better specification decisions

By 2050, all CO2 emissions from fossil fuels in the built environment must be eliminated globally to allow us to stay below 2°C warming above pre-industrial levels. Lowering embodied carbon is a vital step in meeting global emissions reduction targets, as they occur before a building is put to use and thus can never be recovered during the life of the building. There are several steps designers and specifiers can take to make significant upfront impacts in the design and construction process.

Embodied Carbon Reduction Challenge: Cutting Through the Greenwash to Make Better Specification Decisions guides practitioners on how to make better specification decisions that will lower the embodied carbon footprint of their next project. Design and construction professionals must know how to validate claims made about embodied carbon and other environmental factors in building products and materials as the industry shifts toward sustainable design and construction practices.

In line with their Specify Responsibly stance, ForestOne sees responsible material specification as an important element of sustainable design and construction. As the largest independent and Australian-owned distributor of wood panels, timber and decorative surface products in Australia, the company encourages specifiers to minimise their environmental impact by reducing reliance on natural resources, avoiding materials with high embodied carbon, or simply creating less waste.

• Lowering embodied carbon is a vital step in meeting global emissions reduction targets as they occur before a building is put to use and therefore can never be recovered during the life of the building
• Owners and tenants are looking for greater visibility and influence over decarbonisation and waste reduction across their portfolios.

Download this whitepaper to learn how designers and specifiers can influence design decisions to address the embodied carbon of projects.