Embodied carbon is rapidly becoming a central focus in the construction industry as the push for sustainability intensifies. This blog explores what embodied carbon is, why it matters for climate action, and how it’s shaping decisions from material selection to building design.
Rohan Madathanapalli, Business Development Manager and Technical Consultant for Bondor Metecno Group provides insights on industry standards, cost impacts, and practical steps for both homeowners and professionals to reduce the hidden carbon footprint of our built environment.
What is embodied carbon?
Embodied carbon refers to the total greenhouse gas emissions that are released during the entire life cycle of a building material or product. It starts from raw material extraction through manufacturing, transport, installation and eventually disposal or recycling. It’s essentially the hidden carbon footprint that is locked into the materials before construction and before a building is even occupied.
Embodied carbon is different to operational carbon, which comes from using energy to heat, cool or power a building. Embodied carbon is upfront and is released into the atmosphere right at the start of a project.
This makes it especially important to consider during the design and construction phases, because once it’s emitted, it can’t be reduced later. As our buildings become more energy efficient and our grid shifts to renewable energy, embodied carbon is increasingly making up a bigger share of the total emissions from the built environment.
That’s why reducing embodied carbon is one of the most impactful ways the construction industry can contribute to climate action today.
How is embodied carbon calculated?
Embodied carbon is calculated using a method called Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This approach tracks all the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product or material, from its raw extraction through to manufacturing, transport, use and eventually disposal. The results are expressed as a global warming potential measured in CO2 equivalents, which helps compare different materials on a level playing field.
These findings are often shared in Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which are like a nutrition label showing a material’s environmental footprint. EPDs follow international standards like the ISO 14025 and the EN 15804 which ensure consistency in how data is collected and reported.
However, not all EPDs are created equal. The differences in programs or methodology can affect comparability. In Australia, the Green Building Council’s Green Star rating system has its own guidelines and benchmarks. While national approaches are still being developed, the Australian framework largely aligns with global standards.
How does embodied carbon affect Australia's construction sector?
Embodied carbon is having a significant and growing impact on construction in Australia. In 2019, it accounted for about 16% of the emissions from the built environment. Without any intervention, that share could jump to 85% by the mid-century.
What makes embodied carbon so critical in construction is that it’s determined very early in the process, through design, material selection and building methods. Once those choices are made, you can’t go back and reduce those emissions. And as our buildings become more efficient and our electricity gets cleaner, embodied emissions are set to surpass operational emissions as early as 2036.
This shift is driving changes across the industry. Governments, such as in New South Wales, are pushing national strategies for Net Zero embodied carbon, while organisations like the Green Building Council are raising the bar with new performance targets.
Builders and developers are increasingly expected to track and report these emissions, and that pressure will only grow as sustainability becomes become standard, not optional. Meeting those expectations will require change across the entire supply chain, from how materials are manufactured to how they’re used on site.
Challenges like outdated equipment and unfamiliarity with low carbon alternatives needing to be addressed
Are efforts to reduce embodied carbon making building products more expensive?
Reducing embodied carbon doesn’t necessarily mean higher costs. In many cases, it can lead to long term savings.
Research from RMI shows that using low cost or no cost solutions can reduce embodied emissions by up to 46%. In fact, an 2021 RMI report demonstrated that applying low-cost and no-cost embodied carbon solutions could result in 19% to 46% emissions reduction at cost premiums of less than 1%.
The biggest financial challenge often lies with manufacturers, who may need to make large investments to upgrade their upgrade older fossil fuel intensive systems.
But for builders, developers and homeowners, reducing embodied carbon is frequently cost neutral or even cost positive, especially when considering a considering the whole life of a building.
What do homeowners need to know about embodied carbon?
While embodied carbon might seem like something only builders or designers worry about, it’s absolutely affecting homeowners too.
The materials used to build a home, long before anyone moves in, carry a significant carbon footprint. Homeowners can help reduce that impact by making smarter design and material choices.
For example, building a smaller home immediately lowers the amount of material needed which directly reduces embodied carbon. Choosing high or energy efficient materials with good insulation properties like Bondor Metecno insulated panels can also reduce both embodied and operational emissions, leading to lower energy bills and more comfortable living environment.
Even opting for apartments or medium density housing over large, detached homes can make a difference, as these designs tend to use materials more efficiently and shared resources.
While operational energy use is still important, considering embodied carbon when building or renovating is a meaningful step for homeowners can take toward a more sustainable future.
What do builders / designers / architects need to know about embodied carbon?
For builders, designers, and architects, understanding and managing embodied carbon is becoming a core responsibility. The most effective actions happen early in the design phase—designing more efficiently, choosing low carbon or recycled products, and embracing bio-based materials like timber or straw.
Renovating existing buildings, designing for durability, and using tools like LCAs or EPDs are also key. Above all, those in the industry need to guide clients in understanding how their decisions shape not just building performance but its environmental legacy.
How is Bondor Metecno reducing embodied carbon in its products?
Bondor Metecno is reducing embodied carbon by developing environmental product declarations, designing about 80% of our products to be reused or recycled, minimising site waste, using non-ozone depleting substances, and manufacturing locally to cut transport emissions.
We also collaborate on research to reduce plastics, use passive energy strategies, and play a leadership role in industry standards and sustainability initiatives.
Talk to Bondor Metecno’s technical team
Bondor Metecno is Australia’s largest manufacturer of CodeMark and FM-accredited insulated roofing and walling panels with distinct core materials available to address any performance requirement across fire, thermal and long spans. Our products are designed to suit Australian conditions and Australian Standards of construction.
If you’re a builder, designer, or developer, now is the time to take responsibility for reducing embodied carbon in your projects. To learn more about how you can make a meaningful impact and access the latest solutions, contact Bondor Metecno today.
Let’s work together to shape a more sustainable future for the built environment.