Embodied Carbon Structural Steel Specific Clause

Embodied Carbon
Embodied Carbon
The Subcontractor shall work closely with Lendlease to provide low embodied carbon
products and solutions. The cradle to gate emissions of Structural Steel elements shall not
exceed values listed in the table below. Cradle to gate is defined as modules A1-A3 under
the EN15804 system boundary.

Steel type kgCO2-e / ton Comment

Fabricated Structural Sections 600 At least 85%
recycled contents
Fabricated Steel Plate 2000 At least 20%
recycled contents
Fabricated Hot Rolled Structural 600 At least 85%
Sections recycled contents

The emissions intensity of structural steel shall be verified with an Environmental Product
Declaration (EPD) or EN15804 compliant Life Cycle Assessment. Where not available,
complete and detailed information on the processes contributing to the emissions associated
with the billet shall be provided. The requirements extend to all other materials used in the
manufacturing of products that are required and form part of the installation to complete the
scope of works.
The Subcontractor is required to provide at least one of the following for each product or
group of products to be supplied:
• A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), prepared in accordance with ISO14040 and
ISO14044, with results presented based on the flowing impact category: Global
Warming Potential (GWP 100yr);
• An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), prepared in accordance with
ISO14025, with results presented based on at least the following impact category:
Global Warming Potential (GWP 100yr);
All LCA and EPD reports must provide results for both a cradle to grave and cradle to gate
boundary.
Where a LCA or EPD is not available, the following information for each of the component
material(s) contained in the product(s) to be supplied is to be provided in Embodied Carbon
–Returnable Schedule v1.0 (See Appendix 1)
a) The name of and primary materials of each component material within the product(s);
b) The percentage of each component material by weight of whole product(s);
c) The original geographic location for each of the component materials;
d) Details of the process of acquisition and / or extraction of each component/material;
e) The proportion of any recycled content by weight of each component / material;
f) Energy inputs and sources (fossil or otherwise) for the manufacture, fabrication of the
finished product(s); and
g) Information relating to intermediate and final transportation modes and distances for
each component / material.

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The contractor will work closely with Lendlease to identify and implement opportunities that
will reduce the embodied carbon of the products supplied. This may also include providing
information and data that will assist in benchmarking different design and product options.
The Contractor shall provide information about existing or proposed strategies for reducing
embodied carbon of the products supplied by responding to the attached Embodied Carbon
Reduction – General - Questionnaire v1.0 (Shown in Appendix 2)

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Appendix 1: Returnable Schedule

GWP Source of information

Product Name Size Weights(kg) Grade Location of Manufacturing plant Location of Fabrication
(KgCO2-e/Unit of product) (e.g., link to the EPDs)

Item xxx
Item xxx
Item xxx
Item xxx
Assembly Steel Items

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Subcontractor Involvement in Embodied Carbon
Reduction (All Trades)
Lendlease have committed to a range of environmental initiatives as part of the Powerhouse
Museum Parramatta. This includes a commitment to reduce the environmental impacts, in particular
embodied carbon, of the building materials/products used in construction of the development by a
minimum of 20%. This initiative supports the Materials - Life Cycle Impacts and Upfront Carbon credit
of the Green Star Buidlings rating tool, which rewards the reduction of the environmental impacts of
building materials for the whole project over its entire life cycle.
Minimising our embodied carbon impacts at Powerhouse Museum Parramatta will require a
collective approach to identify and implement new and innovative ways of manufacturing, delivering
and constructing. Initiatives to reduce impacts may include:
• Dematerialisation (achieving the same performance with less material)
• Maximising recycled content
• Switching products or components with high embodied carbon to lower embodied carbon
alternatives where there is no sacrifice in performance
• Utilising alternative fuels in delivery and manufacture
• Purchasing or utilising 100% renewable electricity for manufacturing processes
• Carbon offsetting part or all of a product or materials manufacturing emissions in accordance
with the Climate Active Carbon Neutral Certification (CACNS)
It is expected that the subcontractors work closely with Lendlease in order to identify and implement
opportunities that will reduce the embodied carbon of the products supplied. This may also include
providing information and data that will assist in assessing and benchmarking different design and
product options.
The Subcontractor shall provide information about existing or proposed strategies for reducing
embodied carbon of the products or services supplied by responding to the attached Embodied
Carbon Reduction - General - Questionnaire (Refer to Appendix 2)
Further details and specific information requirements will be outlined within the relevant sections of
this specification.

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Appendix 2 - Embodied Carbon Reduction - General
Questionnaire v1.0
Introduction
Lendlease have committed to a range of environmental initiatives as part of the project. This includes
a significant commitment to reduce the embodied carbon impacts of the building materials / products
used in construction of the development.
Minimising our embodied carbon impacts will require a collective approach to identify and implement
new and innovative ways of manufacturing, delivering and construction of the project.
What is Embodied Carbon?
Embodied Carbon is the sum of all greenhouse gas emissions, usually reported as tonnes of carbon
dioxide equivalents (tCO2-e), created over the lifecycle of a material or product from its creation to
disposal.
For the purpose of understanding the impact associated with a building product this includes
emissions generated directly by your organisation during the fabrication, dispatching and transport
of finished product including emissions generated upstream of your business from your suppliers
and from your supplier’s suppliers all the way back to the raw material extraction and mining
activities.
The following guidelines and accompanying questionnaire have been designed to help provide some
background information about strategies and opportunities for reduction which can be employed to
minimise the embodied carbon impact of the project. The questionnaire is a way for you to tell us
what types of initiatives you may have already executed or which you think can be applied to the
project.
Embodied Carbon Reduction Initiatives
Initiatives to reduce the embodied carbon impact of a building product can be categorised and
prioritised according to the hierarchy below. This approach to minimising Embodied Carbon should
be considered at each stage in the development of the product.
Opportunities to implement initiatives in each area should be evaluated continually to ensure the
lowest embodied carbon outcome is achieved. These initiatives should not be the only initiatives
available to minimise the embodied carbon on the project. We recognise that through your
knowledge and expertise in your area of speciality, there may be several other ideas or insights you
have which would assist in reducing the project’s associated carbon emissions and we would
encourage you to explore these with us.

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 • DEMATERIALISATION
• Achieving the same performance with less material than commonly used
• Removing any unnecessary materials
Dematerialisation

• MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION AND RECYCLED CONTENT

• Switching components that have high embodied carbon to alternative components that have lower embodied carbon
whilst ensuring no compromise in performance
Material
Substitution / • Maximising the used of recycled materials and components
Recycled Content

• MANUFACTURING AND SOURCING

• Identify suppliers with "low carbon intensity " products or materials (manufactured with renewable energy etc)
• Maximise efficiency of module fabrication
Manufacture and
Component • Explore opportunities to maximise the use of renewable energy at all stages of manufacture
Sourcing

• LOGISTICS AND PACKAGING

• Maximise payload efficiencies and minimise road transport (opt for sea and rail transport wherever possible)
• Explore opportunities to use renewable energies (e.g. biodiesel) in transport of the components and finished modules
Logistics and • Explore ways to minimise packaging use and utilise reusable and recyclable packaging materials
Packaging

• OFFSETTING
• Carbon neutral certified products or suppliers
• Utilising certified renewable energy "Green Power" for electricity consumption
• Purchase of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Generated Gold Standard Offsets for part or all manufacturing,
Offsetting transport and supply chain emissions

Further details on each of the above initiatives are outlined in the following sections.
Dematerialisation
Dematerialisation is about avoiding and minimising the amount of materials required through clever
design and by optimising the utility of each component. Examples might include ensuring each
module is engineered to meet its individual load requirements e.g. module located at lower level
which may be subject to lower wind loads are engineered using less material rather than over
engineered as a “one-size-fits-all” where all modules are designed to meet the requirements of those
subject to the highest wind loads.
Material Substitution and Recycled Content
Switching components that have high embodied carbon to alternative components that have lower
embodied carbon and ensuring no compromise in performance. Examples might include:
sustainable timber in lieu of aluminium, plywood in lieu of sheet metal and insulation made from
recycled materials.
Maximising recycled content in steel and aluminium components can also dramatically reduce the
embodied carbon of a product. Incorporating recycled material avoids the need to extract new raw
materials and recovery and remelting of steel and aluminium requires less energy than the
manufacture of the same virgin product. Whilst post-industrial recycled content is good for dealing
with industrial off-cuts the focus for recycled content should be on maximising post-consumer
recycled material. Products that have a high post-industrial recycled content typically have a higher
impact than an efficient manufacturing process that avoids waste and maximises post-consumer
recycled materials. Opportunities to maximise post-consumer recycled content in all key components
should be explored as this is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to minimise the
embodied carbon impact of the project.
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Manufacturing & Sourcing
Further ways to minimise the embodied carbon of the finished product are through material
specification and sourcing. Sourcing typically high-impact materials from low carbon intensive
manufacturers, often those that employ new efficient manufacturing processes and source their
energy inputs from renewable sources or a clean electricity grid can contribute to a very significant
reduction in embodied carbon.
Opportunities to source materials / components from efficient and low carbon intensive
manufacturers should be explored. Verification documentation should be obtained to assess and
compare the emissions intensity of different suppliers’ products with preference given to those with
the lowest intensity materials.
Developing innovative ways to manufacture a product or assembly more efficiently can also reduce
embodied carbon. Strategies could include investing in new manufacturing technologies, utilising
renewable energy sources, reusing ‘waste’ materials from the manufacturing process, or redesigning
a product for quick assembly.
Logistics and Packaging
Transport impacts associated with sourcing materials are typically quite small in comparison to those
associated with the manufacturing of high-impact materials such as glass, aluminium and steel.
Transport of materials generally equates to around 5% of a product’s overall impact and although
often smaller than the impact of manufacturing it is still quite significant and important to consider.
Transport distances are less important than the mode of transport. For instance, road transport is far
less efficient than sea freight or rail - Road freight emissions can be as high as 157gCO2-e/tkm
compared with Sea Freight which is typically 5gCO2-e/tkm (Apelbaum Consulting Group, 2009). The
logistics strategy you use should therefore not only seek to reduce the transport distances of raw
materials and the final fabricated module but also look to minimise the use of road freight and
maximise sea and rail wherever possible.
Furthermore, packaging design should be considered to maximise payload efficiencies. Packaging
materials should also be considered for the reusability and recyclability to minimise the impact of
these at the construction site.
Offsetting
As a last resort consideration of carbon offsets may be considered as a means of negating the
embodied carbon impact of part or the entire product’s footprint. The preferred pathway for carbon
neutrality is through Climate Active Carbon Neutral Certification. Carbon neutrality refers to a
situation where the net greenhouse gas emissions of an organisation or a product are equal to zero.
This is achieved through the reduction of emissions and, for any remaining emissions, the acquisition
and cancellation of carbon offsets that meet stringent criteria.
The Carbon Neutral Program is a voluntary scheme which certifies products, business operations or
events as carbon neutral against the Australian Government's Climate Active Carbon Neutral
Scheme (CACNS). This standard provides integrity through its guidance on genuine voluntary offsets
and its minimum requirements for calculating, auditing and offsetting a carbon footprint to achieve
carbon neutrality.
Once certified, the Supplier can use the CACNS Certified logo under license for promotional and
marketing purposes. Certification remains valid for five years provided that all management and
reporting obligations are met. Additional information can be found on the Department of the
Environment website:
www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/publications/carbon-neutral-program-guidelines
Evidence of the purchase of such credits would be required along with a third party certified Life
Cycle Analysis to demonstrate that the emissions have been satisfactorily offset.

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Questionnaire
1. Dematerialisation
What initiatives have you identified and implemented to minimise the amount of material in the
project? Please provide evidence of these initiatives and evidence to quantify the material
savings made.
Action(s)

Evidence

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2. Material Substitution
What materials / components have you identified for substitution with alternatives? Please
provide diagrams, specifications, quantities and details of components substituted.
Action(s)

Evidence

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3. Recycled Content
Have you selected any components or materials made using recycled content? If yes please
provide details and evidence from suppliers verifying the quantity of both post-consumer and
post-industrial recycled content in the material.
Action(s)

Evidence

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4. Manufacturing and Sourcing
Which suppliers have you identified as providing low carbon intensive materials / products and
for which product components?
Please provide evidence of the material / product and its corresponding carbon intensity. Must
be accompanied by independent Life Cycle Assessments, Environment Product Disclosure
Statements (EPDs), Climate Declarations or Sustainability Reports etc
Action(s)

Evidence

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5. Logistics and Packaging
What initiatives have you identified and implemented to minimise the impact of transport and
packaging? Provide examples and detailed descriptions of transport and packaging initiatives as
evidence.
Action(s)

Evidence

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6. Carbon Offsetting
Have you offset any emissions for any part or all the materials, supply chain or transport of the
products?
As evidence please provide, purchase certificates for CDM Gold Standard Offsets or equivalent
and Life Cycle Analysis, Carbon Footprint of the activity that has been offset.
Action(s)

Evidence

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