Embodied carbon emissions in materials used in Australia’s building and construction sector are the next frontier to significantly reduce carbon emissions, according to a new report released by the CEFC.

The report, Australian buildings and infrastructure: Opportunities for cutting embodied carbon, was developed in collaboration with the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) and provides practical guidance on how the building sector can reduce its carbon footprint through innovative approaches to new manufacturing materials and cutting-edge design.

It also helps quantify the decarbonisation challenges in the sector and identifies the solutions and opportunities for the sector to reduce its carbon footprint. Importantly, it outlines material and design initiatives that can reduce embodied carbon in the built environment.

The report finds that cost effective solutions can be implemented now to significantly reduce embodied carbon. This means that Australian developers and builders don’t have to choose between sustainability and saving on costs. The research shows that it is possible to achieve as much as 18% reduction in embodied carbon and save as much as a 3% reduction in material costs for typical building and infrastructure projects.

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