Are you confused by low carbon, embodied carbon and net-zero?

As we grapple with how we can play our part in reducing carbon emissions, it is important to note that the construction industry has a huge role to play. On 30 November at the Scottish Parliament's Cross-Party Group on construction, the focus was on the net-zero challenge and the construction industry's opportunity to address climate change. 

Now, this is an important topic. While members are juggling labour and material shortages and the pre-Christmas rush, the likes of net-zero and embodied carbon can seem overwhelming. However, Will Arnold, Head of Climate Action at the Institution of Strucutral Engineers, gave an excellent presentation on 'embodied carbon', which is a measure of the total CO2 that is emitted during the production of materials. Will called this the 'order of magnitude difference'. In short, construction can be the quickest way to reduce embodied carbon emissions through designing and building smarter. 

Repairing and retrofitting our existing buildings will also be vital in cutting carbon emissions. Here, Dr Faye Wade, Chancellor's Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, talked through the FMB report published in July called 'Building on our Strengths'. It was good for MSPs to learn that energy retrofit works (be they fabric and other measures) must be adopted into the everyday practices of builders working in the repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) market. The RMI market is the biggest marketplace for most FMB members. The elephant in the room is the lack of demand from consumers for energy retrofit upgrades as part of a home refurbishment or renovation project. 

If you would like to receive a copy of the presentations or discuss the issues further, please email FMB Scotland Director Gordon Nelson.

Authors

Gordon Nelson

FMB Scotland Hub Director, Federation of Master Builders

Director, Federation of Master Builders Scotland

Gordon has nearly twenty years’ experience of working in membership organisations in Scotland and joined the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in 2014. Prior to this, he worked at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and for Unilever in business development, membership management and business-to-business marketing roles. Amongst his responsibilities in his role as the Director for FMB Scotland are public affairs, media relations, governance and representing member’s interests to Scottish policy makers and stakeholders within the Scottish construction industry. Gordon is the Secretary of the Cross-Party Group on Construction in the Scottish Parliament, and he is a member of the Scottish Building Standards Futures Board. Gordon represents the FMB on Scotland’s Construction Industry Collective Voice: which is comprised of the leading construction trade and professional bodies. In spring 2023 Gordon was appointed as an industry co-chair of the Construction Leaderships Forum’s (CLF) Transformation Board.

Read lessmore