Reducing Embodied Carbon: How to Move from Awareness to Action — Starting at Concept Stage

The construction industry is responsible for 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and 11% is directly linked to embodied carbon — the emissions from extracting, manufacturing, transporting, and assembling building materials.

Unlike operational carbon, which accumulates during a building’s use phase, embodied carbon is locked in from day one. And as buildings become more energy-efficient and powered by renewables, embodied carbon now accounts for up to 90% of total emissions in new developments.

A growing priority — but a slow shift in practice

Embodied carbon is no longer a niche concern. Leading certification systems like DGNB, BREEAM, and LEED have made life cycle assessments (LCA) a core requirement. Regulatory frameworks across Europe are pushing toward full carbon transparency across the building lifecycle.

Yet many professionals still struggle to turn that awareness into concrete decisions:

• Environmental product data is fragmented and often inconsistent.

• Tools are not always suited to early-stage design workflows.

• And roles and responsibilities remain unclear across the project team.

The result? LCA often remains a compliance task, not the strategic design tool it could be.

A Practical Guide to Make Embodied Carbon Actionable — Across the Value Chain

At Vizcab, we believe that reducing embodied carbon starts with design-stage decisions, and that LCA can be both collaborative and pragmatic — if equipped with the right method and tools.

That’s why we created:
📘 “Reduce Embodied Carbon | A Practical Guide”
A clear, actionable framework to help teams across the construction ecosystem turn knowledge into impact.

What you’ll find inside:

🔹 A three-step method to structure your approach:

1. Launch LCA from the earliest design stages

2. Identify real-world levers to reduce emissions

3. Scale up your carbon strategy with harmonized tools and data

🔹 Hands-on recommendations based on real projects, to help you:

• Compare design options early using carbon benchmarks and EPDs

• Collaborate with structural engineers to reduce material volume

• Make carbon-informed procurement decisions using verified EPDs

• Streamline data collection for regulatory and ESG reporting

🔹 A detailed case study showing how a major developer used Vizcab tools to embed embodied carbon reduction across its teams and projects.

Who is this guide for?

This guide is designed for every stakeholder across the construction value chain: architects, engineers, developers, consultants, sustainability managers, manufacturers, and more.

Whether you’re just starting with LCA or looking to scale an existing approach, this guide will help you:

• Make better early-stage design decisions

• Coordinate more effectively across disciplines

• Meet increasing expectations for carbon transparency and performance