Circular economy and whole life carbon reporting with SmartWaste

Circular economy
Aug 17, 2023
Andrea Pazos

Circular economy and whole life carbon reporting with SmartWaste

The construction industry is a major carbon emitter. Delivering circular economy solutions not only saves cost, but it also enhances environmental credentials.

Many organisations are establishing their carbon footprint and publicly committing to emission reduction targets towards a net zero economy. Construction is the largest consumer of raw materials and a major carbon emitter. In the UK almost a third of landfill is taken by construction waste annually. Delivering circular economy solutions not only saves cost, but it also enhances environmental credentials.

Evidencing how these net zero carbon commitments are realised will increasingly become one of the key criteria used by:

Customers to select their suppliers.
Partners and investors to determine which funds to invest in and which projects to finance.

It is crucial that we report on all material used and waste generated across the value chain, accurately and methodically. SmartWaste recognises this need and has road-mapped several initiatives to support the industry and provide real-world solutions:

Comprehensive data capture – enabling the broadest capture of material and product data arriving to site.
Consistent carbon factors – sourcing accurate and consistently calculated embodied carbon factors, whether for simple materials or complex composite products.
Specific carbon factor values – identifying which specific products and materials are being used thereby enabling design choices and any subsequent substitutions to be accurately reflected in the embodied carbon calculation. Moving from average carbon factor values to specific values for named products that evidence positive net zero carbon decisions.
Material management planning – improved material management planning to accurately reflect a project’s carbon footprint by supporting the protocols associated with on-site processing of waste into material for reuse. This will recognise the environmental benefit that is achieved when waste product is recycled and reused, whether on the same project, between the contractor’s different projects, or made available to the marketplace.
Scope 3 emissions reporting – facilitating expansive scope 3 emission reporting that embraces the entire value chain and incorporates the material and waste choices made to acknowledge an organisation’s net zero carbon commitments.