Measuring the Problem, Ignoring the Solutions?
tl;dr A detailed LCA report of a business-as-usual building, has zero climate impact.
What is an LCA report good for...?
LCA reporting is growing in construction. It’s now a regulatory checkbox, a client request, or an ESG talking point. It helps with compliance and adds to the global pool of building emissions data, both of which are pieces of the puzzle.
But is it cutting carbon today? Probably not.
The real goal of LCAs is to drive better choices and lead to lower emissions. Instead, project teams spend weeks on calculations often ending in paperwork, not real impact.
So why are we not making use of LCA reports?
Most LCA reports are produced at the end of the design phase or even after construction is completed. They serve as documentation, proof that a process was followed, and that regulatory requirements were met.
Do they drive decisions and choices during design and/or procurement? In theory they should. In practice, (at least in my experience) they almost never do.
Too Late to Matter
By the time the final report lands on the desk, key opportunities to cut carbon have passed. The materials are already specified, or even ordered. The supply chain is locked in. Construction is well underway.
LCA reports provide insights, but they often arrive too late to influence material choices, design decisions, or procurement strategies in any meaningful way.
The Real Problem isn't the Data (or the lack of it)
The issue isn't the data, despite the popular narrative in the AEC industry.
It's how and when data is used.
Instead of being a tool for change, LCA reports are treated as a checkbox exercise. They document what happened, not what could have been avoided. The input information of an LCA should be looked at during typical processes of design, engineering and construction if we want it to drive decisions.
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A (potential) solution
From Paperwork to Action
Real impact happens when carbon data is used proactively. It needs to be an input, not just an output.
For example, having project teams accessing real-time carbon insights within their design and procurement workflows. Instead of waiting for a final report, they could make low-carbon choices as they go.
The report can also be created at the end, but this time to demonstrate the benefits of the decisions made.
The Age of Integration
Integration of LCA data into existing workflows of AEC are absolute game-changers, even when the accuracy is not at 100%.
They allow project teams to:
Action, not paperwork, cuts carbon.
Break free from reporting, start creating impact
At 2050 Materials , we help firms escape the futile exercise of generating LCA reports hoping designs magically get better. Instead, we integrate data directly into workflows, making sustainability actionable from the start.
Get in touch to see how we can help your team use LCA data where it matters most—in real time, within your decision-making processes.
Strategy and outcomes for sustainable property service delivery in Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands. Social value, sustainability, pipeline development, business strategy. Mostly with a smile!
1 个月Climate action in design always costs more if you retrofit it into a project at a late stage!!!
Commercial Director - Southfacing Services
1 个月This is why we are pushing for Carbon Assurance via Tracker Plus KPI. You will be able to take the LCA report and divide the embodied carbon across all the tender packages, giving each subcontractor a target (set within their contracts ?). These are the teams purchasing the materials and at the coal face to identify the actual embodied carbon per unit. So the true, through the gate A1-A3 carbon will be reported against a delivery note. We then have a data set to review gaps, contractor awareness and therefore direct delivery support & education. And finally all will be able to cross reference back to the design stage LCA report !!
Promoter of Sustainable Building through connecting people
1 个月Measuring the problem, and hopefully learning from the data - with others competing to better your results.
Batir un monde en transition, Carbone, R&D, IFPEB, A4MT
1 个月What you describe here is what you see either : ·??????When carbon value is not mandatory (in France it is with a regulation limiting carbon) ·??????When it was done a few years ago, when noboby knew values, orders of magnitude, had lca software, habits or experts (architect or engineer) that know what to do It's quite easy to go beyond with thoses 2 things, regulation and time. In France we talk about carbon even before drawing any line
Founder of ds30 and Chief Data Officer at Data Leaders.Net
1 个月Well said and very clear. Thank you Phanos. Data-enabled feedback loops architects, designers and engineers etc can use according to their role or task. Once your have a more professional data infrastructure and science capability in your firms that supports these feedback loops, reporting becomes a functionality within that infrastructure. Current regulation and thinking is the other way around. Reporting drives the data system. Our work with https://www.innovationdesignconsortium.com/ is addressing this challenge for Architects during our Data & AI Orientation workshop last November in Houston. Don Davies Brooke Grammier J. Peter Devereaux Dan Knowles Elizabeth Osta