Part Z is a proof-of-concept amendment to the Building Regulations drawn up by a small team of built environment sustainability specialists which covers the assessment, reporting and limiting of embodied carbon.

But why embodied carbon? And why now?

Buildings and construction form a substantial portion of UK carbon emissions. They contribute both operational carbon emissions (due to energy and water use) and embodied carbon emissions (due to the use of construction materials). Both must be limited if the UK is to meet its decarbonisation targets.

For a long time, operational carbon has accounted for the bulk of most buildings’ emissions. However, this has changed over the last couple of decades as buildings have become more efficient to operate, along with more of our energy coming from renewables.

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