Part Z proposal for regulating embodied carbon – Latest

Due to the significant contribution that embodied carbon makes to the climate emergency, there is a need to introduce legislation towards mandatory reporting of carbon emissions in the built environment, along with limiting embodied carbon emissions on projects.

A group of our peers have written Part Z and its accompanying Approved Document Z as a proof of concept of the regulation that’s needed in the UK. If enacted, Part Z would ensure that embodied carbon is assessed on all projects, as part of a comprehensive whole life carbon assessment.

It would also ensure that the embodied carbon emissions are then capped on all major construction projects - initially through limits on upfront embodied carbon, but over time expanding to cover all aspects of embodied carbon.

Elliott Wood Co-Founder and Chief Executive, Gary Elliott, has provided a statement of support for Part Z as a principle that embodied carbon should be regulated. He states:

“Elliott Wood agrees that ambitious change is needed to UK Building Regulations that will mandate assessments and limitation of embodied carbon in construction. There are already tools - such as The Structural Carbon Tool we developed with IStructE - that are available to help design teams estimate embodied carbon and make better decisions during the design phase.

Our industry is willing and able to make the changes needed to comply with whole life carbon regulation, and this is a clear opportunity for the Government to enact legislation that will help make that a reality. We look forward to collaborating with our industry peers to push for this much needed reform.”

Approved Document Z is aligned with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Professional Statement ‘Whole life carbon assessment for the built environment’, and guidance and recommendations made by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) and the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI).

If you would like to learn more and lend your voice to the campaign, visit the Part Z website here.