By Professor Francesco Pomponi, Chair of Sustainability and Environment, University of York
We’re used to thinking about buildings in terms of what they use: how much energy, water, or resources they consume while they’re standing. But what about what they are made of—the emissions locked in from the moment a material is extracted, transported, and installed?
That’s what we call embodied carbon. And increasingly, it’s the elephant in the room when we talk about decarbonising the built environment.
The Carbon Cost of Just Showing Up
Embodied carbon—especially the upfront emissions released before a building is even operational—can represent half or more of a project’s total emissions over its life. And unlike operational emissions, you can’t change your mind and reduce them later. Once those emissions are out, they’re out.
This is a particular concern in fast-growing regions of the world, where most of the buildings that will exist in 2050 haven’t even been built yet. That includes large parts of the Global South—and South Africa is no exception.
Why Estimating Embodied Carbon is Tricky
There’s a saying in science: you can’t manage what you can’t measure. That’s the central challenge with embodied carbon—it’s still hard to measure, compare, and benchmark.
Why? Because:
- Different countries and sectors use different rules and scopes.
- Data quality is inconsistent, especially for locally made materials.
- Many buildings in the Global South don’t have detailed material records or standardised documentation.
We risk applying tools developed in and for the Global North to places with completely different construction practices, supply chains, and data availability.
What We Can Do About It
This isn’t a reason to despair. In fact, it’s a reason to innovate—and collaborate.
Some of the most exciting developments in embodied carbon are happening right now. We’re seeing:
- New rating tools like Green Star v2, which offer clearer pathways for capturing embodied impacts from the start of a project
- Better databases and digital platforms, which make it possible to estimate embodied carbon earlier and more accurately than ever before
- More transparent methodologies, many of them open-source, that allow for regional customisation and comparability
- Growing awareness and demand, with more clients asking for low-carbon options and more designers willing to prioritise them
But for these advances to really make a difference, we need to work together.
That means:
- Design teams collaborating from the start, rather than relying on carbon calculations as a last-minute check
- Manufacturers sharing more data about the carbon impact of their products
- Governments setting clear policy signals that prioritise low-carbon materials and construction
- Clients being open to new ways of building, even when it challenges ‘the way things have always been done’
No single tool, regulation, or expert can solve this on their own. But together, we can build the knowledge, consistency, and momentum needed to bring embodied carbon into the mainstream of design and development—especially in regions where the built environment is growing fastest.
This is particularly important in the Global South, where the right support and collaboration can lead to more contextual, data-informed, and equitable solutions—not just replicating standards from the Global North.
Final Thoughts
We’re at a turning point.
Operational emissions are coming down. We’re decarbonising grids, improving efficiency, and retrofitting existing buildings. But embodied carbon is still flying under the radar, even though it’s often responsible for half a building’s total impact.
We need to widen our view of sustainability—from how buildings perform, to how they’re conceived, sourced, and assembled.
Getting this right means:
- Looking upstream, not just downstream
- Asking hard questions earlier in the design process
- Making carbon a shared responsibility across the entire value chain
It also means acknowledging that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. The Global South has different materials, labour practices, and development pressures. But it also has an incredible opportunity to leapfrog outdated models and lead with smarter, more sustainable ways of building.
In the end, tackling embodied carbon isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s a cultural shift. It’s about building not just greener structures, but a shared commitment to what those structures represent: resilience, fairness, and a future we can all live with.
Ready to take action on embodied carbon?
Explore the complexities, regional challenges, and transformative opportunities of embodied carbon with Professor Francesco Pomponi. Join the GBCSA online Masterclass, Embodied Carbon: The Next Frontier, happening on 2 October 2025, hosted by the Green Building Council South Africa. Sign up at this link, and become part of the conversation that’s shaping the next generation of sustainable built environments.
About the Author
Prof. Francesco Pomponi
Prof. Francesco Pomponi is a global leader in embodied and whole life carbon. He co-founded Preoptima, an AI startup for real-time carbon assessments, and founded the Open Data for Climate initiative. With over 120 scientific papers cited 7000+ times, he also holds academic posts at Cambridge, Edinburgh Napier, UCT, and York, focusing on sustainable built environments, especially in the Global South.