Australia has reached a major milestone in sustainable construction with NABERS awarding the nation’s first Embodied Carbon rating.
NABERS awarded Australia’s first Embodied Carbon rating at a special ceremony in Kemps Creek, marking a major milestone in the transition to net zero buildings.
NABERS director Magali Wardle and Assistant Minister for Climate Change & Energy, Josh Wilson joined representatives from Frasers Property Industrial, Mainbrace Constructions and Probiotec to recognise the achievement, delivered through the construction of Frasers Property Industrial’s Kemps Creek facility.
While Australian buildings are world-leading in operational energy efficiency, reducing emissions from building materials and construction processes remains a significant challenge. Embodied carbon accounts for a substantial share of a building’s whole-of-life emissions and these emissions are a major part of Australia’s net zero challenge.
With support from the NSW Government and the Australian Government, NABERS has developed a nationally consistent tool to measure and compare embodied carbon across buildings.
The NABERS Embodied Carbon rating measures the “hidden emissions” associated with building materials, transport, on-site energy use and waste.
The NABERS Embodied Carbon rating tool focuses on upfront embodied carbon, emissions resulting from materials and construction work before the building is occupied.
This is a critical period, that can account for up to 80 per cent of a building’s lifetime embodied emissions.
The Embodied Carbon rating tool enables eligible new buildings and partial rebuilds to measure, verify, and compare their upfront embodied carbon with similar buildings.
The tool provides a certified measure of carbon intensity, incorporating material, transport and construction emissions.
Embodied carbon encompasses the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the entire lifecycle of a building. This includes the materials and processes used from construction through to refurbishment or rebuild and eventual deconstruction.
In 2019, embodied carbon made up 16 per cent of Australia’s built environment emissions - this is estimated to increase to 85 per cent in 2050.
The decisions made during the design and planning phases of buildings are locked in for years to come. By quantifying the emissions from materials and construction processes early, informed decisions can be made to minimise the carbon footprint of buildings.