Environmental · Best Practice · All Phases

Carbon Footprint and Embodied Carbon Log

A log tracking the carbon footprint of construction activities and embodied carbon of materials.

Last reviewed: 29 March 2026 — This guide reflects UK law as of this date. PAS 2080 / Client Requirement remains current with no amendments enacted as of 29 March 2026. Next scheduled review: 29 March 2027.

Legal basis	PAS 2080:2023 — Carbon Management in Buildings and Infrastructure / Client Requirement
Status	Best practice — increasingly mandatory on public sector and large commercial projects
Prepared by	Principal Contractor / Quantity Surveyor
Embodied carbon	Embodied carbon accounts for 50–80% of whole-life carbon for well-insulated buildings — operational carbon falls as energy efficiency improves
Assessment scope	BS EN 15978 lifecycle modules A1–C4 covering raw material extraction, transport, manufacturing, construction, use, and end-of-life

1. Embodied Carbon — The Forgotten Carbon in Construction

The construction industry has historically focused almost exclusively on operational carbon — the energy consumed by a building during its use for heating, cooling, lighting, and ventilation. Regulations such as Part L of the Building Regulations and Energy Performance Certificates have driven significant reductions in operational carbon over the past two decades. However, as buildings become more energy-efficient, a different source of carbon has come to dominate the whole-life picture: embodied carbon.

Embodied carbon is the total carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emitted during the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing of products, transportation to site, construction processes, maintenance and replacement during the building's life, and eventual demolition and disposal. For a well-insulated modern building, embodied carbon can account for 50–80% of the total whole-life carbon emissions. This means that the carbon impact of the materials chosen and the construction process itself is now often greater than the carbon impact of running the building for its entire design life.

PAS 2080:2023 provides the framework for managing carbon in buildings and infrastructure. It establishes a structured approach to carbon management across the value chain, requiring all participants — from clients and designers to contractors and material suppliers — to measure, report, and reduce carbon at every stage. The standard emphasises that the greatest opportunities for carbon reduction exist at the earliest stages of design, when fundamental decisions about structural form, material selection, and building configuration are still open. By the time construction begins, the majority of the embodied carbon has already been locked in by design decisions.

Measure early, not retrospectively

Embodied carbon assessment is most valuable when done early in design — not as a retrospective measurement at the end. At RIBA Stage 2, a whole-life carbon assessment can inform structural strategy, material palette, and specification decisions that have the greatest influence on the final carbon outcome. By Stage 4, most of these decisions are fixed and the opportunity for meaningful reduction has passed.

2. What to Record

The embodied carbon log should capture all relevant data across the BS EN 15978 lifecycle modules. The following table sets out the key sections of the log and the information that should be recorded in each.

Section	What to record
Project details	Project name, location, client, gross internal area (GIA), building typology, structural system, design life, and assessment date. Include the RIBA stage at which the assessment is being carried out.
Assessment standard	Confirm whether the assessment follows PAS 2080:2023, RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment (2nd edition), GLA WLC guidance, or another recognised methodology. State the lifecycle modules included (A1–A3 product stage, A4–A5 construction stage, B1–B5 use stage, C1–C4 end-of-life stage) and any modules excluded with justification.
Material log	A detailed schedule of all significant materials by mass or volume, including the source of carbon data for each — whether from an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), the ICE Database, manufacturer-specific data, or generic industry averages. Record the carbon intensity (kgCO2e per unit) and the total embodied carbon for each material.
Construction activities	Carbon emissions arising from the construction process itself (module A5), including site energy consumption, plant and equipment fuel use, temporary works, waste generated during construction, and transport of operatives. Record actual or estimated data as appropriate.
Total embodied carbon	The total assessed embodied carbon for the project expressed in kgCO2e and in kgCO2e/m² GIA. Break down the total by lifecycle module and by building element (substructure, superstructure, envelope, services, finishes) to identify the dominant contributors.
Carbon reduction actions	A schedule of carbon reduction measures considered, implemented, or rejected, with the estimated carbon saving for each. Examples include structural optimisation, material substitution (e.g. GGBS or PFA cement replacements), local sourcing, design for disassembly, and specification of low-carbon products with verified EPDs.
Reporting	Summary report suitable for inclusion in sustainability statements, planning submissions, BREEAM assessments, or client reporting. Include a comparison against recognised benchmarks such as the LETI 2030 target or the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge targets.

3. Common Mistakes

Measuring only Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions

Many organisations focus their carbon reporting on Scope 1 (direct emissions from owned or controlled sources such as site plant fuel) and Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased electricity). While these are important, they represent only a small fraction of the total carbon associated with a construction project. The vast majority of embodied carbon sits in Scope 3 — the emissions embedded in the materials, products, and supply chain. An embodied carbon assessment that excludes Scope 3 will dramatically understate the true carbon impact of the project and will not comply with PAS 2080 or BS EN 15978.

Using generic carbon factors instead of product-specific EPDs

Generic carbon factors from databases such as the ICE Database provide useful estimates for early-stage assessments, but they represent industry averages and may not reflect the actual carbon intensity of the specific products being used on the project. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are independently verified documents that provide the actual carbon footprint of a specific product from a specific manufacturer. Where EPDs are available, they should always be used in preference to generic factors. Using generic data when product-specific EPDs exist overstates or understates the true carbon and removes the incentive for manufacturers to invest in low-carbon production.

4. Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)?▾

An Environmental Product Declaration is an independently verified document that quantifies the environmental impact of a specific product over its lifecycle, following the rules set out in BS EN 15804. An EPD is produced by the manufacturer and verified by an accredited third-party programme operator. It reports the carbon footprint of the product (in kgCO2e per declared unit) across the lifecycle modules defined in BS EN 15978, along with other environmental indicators such as ozone depletion potential, acidification, and resource depletion. EPDs allow designers and specifiers to compare the environmental performance of competing products on a like-for-like basis and to select lower-carbon alternatives with confidence. They are the gold standard for embodied carbon data and should be used whenever available.

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