Sustainability Action Plan

about this principle

Concrete is responsible for 10% of the world's CO2 emissions and building materials account for 20% of the UK's ecological footprint. There is a lot of debate about Zero Carbon Homes, but not enough about the embodied carbon (the CO2 it takes to manufacturer the building materials) in building new homes.

As part of One Planet Living in Sutton we would like to set embodied energy targets for new build but also find ways of promoting reclaimed and low impact materials for existing homes and the DIY market. But we should also consider the environmental impact of the consumer good that we buy; our clothes, furniture and electrical goods, but also every day things like loo roll.

Aim

The broad aims of this principle are to choose materials to give high performance in use, with lower impact on the environment, using local materials to benefit local economies, reduce transport and support traditional low impact solutions.

It's very difficult to set targets for the embodied energy for new build as currently it's not something that is typically measured. In fact BedZED is one of the only developments in the UK to have quantified the embodied carbon which stands at 675kg CO2/ m2. Also, the embodied carbon varies enormously for different build types, so high-rise blocks require more embodied energy per square meter than 2-sorey houses. We also need to promote buildings with high thermal mass so that the energy use in the home is minimised. But if the embodied energy targets are set too low this could promote light weight buildings at the expense of thermal mass.