The RICS whole life carbon assessment (WLCA) standard, 2nd edition, came into effect on July 1, 2024. This standard is designed to help us consistently and accurately measure carbon emissions. It builds upon the 1st edition and covers all buildings and infrastructure throughout the built environment life cycle.
What does this mean? We will need to follow these updated standard requirements when completing a whole life carbon assessment. This includes recording any deviations from the standard as part of the assessment.
There are many benefits to using the standard and taking action to deliver a net-zero future. According to the latest global status report released by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), emissions from the construction sector remain at an all-time high. The industry needs to do more to achieve the critical decarbonisation targets by 2050.
The 2023 RICS Sustainability report also provides valuable insights into the current state and what needs to change. According to RICS research, only 15% of global respondents measure embodied carbon and use it to select materials, systems, and components.
The RICS WLCA standard is designed to address this issue. It allows us to measure carbon emissions across the whole lifecycle of projects, and portfolios of assets. Using the WLCA standard, we can estimate the amount of carbon emitted throughout the life cycle of a building, from the early stages of development through to the end of life. It gives visibility to embodied carbon, operational carbon, and user carbon – something that is vital to carbon calculations and a unique feature of the RICS standard.
By giving visibility to the carbon cost of different design choices, the standard aims to help manage carbon budgets, reduce lifetime emissions, and deliver a net-zero future for the built environment., came into effect on July 1, 2024. This standard is designed to help us consistently and accurately measure carbon emissions. It builds upon the 1st edition and covers all buildings and infrastructure throughout the built environment life cycle.
What does this mean? We will need to follow these updated standard requirements when completing a whole life carbon assessment. This includes recording any deviations from the standard as part of the assessment.
There are many benefits to using the standard and taking action to deliver a net-zero future. According to the latest global status report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), emissions from the construction sector remain at an all-time high. The industry needs to do more to achieve the critical decarbonisation targets by 2050.
The 2023 RICS Sustainability report also provides valuable insights into the current state and what needs to change. According to RICS research, only 15% of global respondents measure embodied carbon and use it to select materials, systems, and components.
The RICS WLCA standard is designed to address this issue. It allows us to measure carbon emissions across the whole lifecycle of projects, and portfolios of assets. Using the WLCA standard, we can estimate the amount of carbon emitted throughout the life cycle of a building, from the early stages of development through to the end of life. It gives visibility to embodied carbon, operational carbon, and user carbon – something that is vital to carbon calculations and a unique feature of the RICS standard.
By giving visibility to the carbon cost of different design choices, the standard aims to help manage carbon budgets, reduce lifetime emissions, and deliver a net-zero future for the built environment.
