VIEWPOINT CHANGING EMBODIED


CARBON BEHAVIOURS Iain Parker national sales manager merchants Knauf Insulation


MERCHANTS FACE A distinct challenge when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. With limited control over emissions elsewhere in the supply chain, their greatest opportunity is to help customers make more sustainable choices. The BMF’s third annual


sustainability survey suggests this remains difficult. Low awareness, scepticism and reluctance to pay more are the three most common barriers. Overcoming them means communicating the wider benefits of lower-carbon products and making their environmental impact easier to measure, compare and understand.


How regulations will change behaviours Embodied carbon refers to the emissions associated with materials and construction processes throughout a building’s lifecycle. This includes manufacturing, transportation, construction, maintenance, repair, refurbishment, demolition and waste. These emissions can account for as much as half of a building’s lifetime carbon footprint.


As operational emissions fall through better fabric performance, low-carbon heating and more efficient building services, embodied carbon will become increasingly important.


The direction of travel is clear. Several European countries already require embodied carbon reporting, while the EU is moving towards introducing reporting requirements across construction. In the UK, proposed measures include Part Z for whole-life carbon under the Building Regulations. Although national regulation is still developing, reporting is already becoming part of project delivery. Some local authorities,


developers and other third parties now ask contractors and suppliers to provide embodied carbon information. This pressure will increasingly filter through to merchants as customers seek products that can support their calculations and procurement requirements.


Comparing embodied carbon


Environmental Product Declarations, or EPDs, are becoming the construction industry’s preferred source of information for comparing embodied carbon. An EPD reports the environmental impact of a product across different stages of its lifecycle. It is based on a Life Cycle Assessment, independently verified and produced according to standardised rules. This gives merchants, contractors and specifiers a more reliable basis for comparing products.


However, EPDs still require some interpretation. Products must be compared on an equivalent basis, using the same units, lifecycle stages and performance requirements. The age and scope of the EPD also matter. More recent EPDs produced to the EN 15804+A2 standard provide greater transparency and cover a wider range of lifecycle impacts, including what happens at the end of the product’s life.


EPDs provide the underlying September 2026 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net


data, but extracting the relevant figures and turning them into useful project information can be time-consuming. This is particularly challenging at the merchant counter, where customers are unlikely to have the time or technical knowledge to work through several detailed documents.


Making calculation easier


Accessible digital tools can help close the gap between the information available and the decisions customers make. Knauf Insulation’s free online embodied carbon calculator, for example, enables users to calculate the insulation required to achieve a target U-value and then determine its embodied carbon by area or weight. This turns detailed EPD data into a figure that can be used more readily in project calculations and product comparisons. Tools of this kind also make conversations about sustainability more practical. Instead of relying on broad environmental claims, merchants can help customers understand the measurable impact of a product choice and compare suitable options.


As embodied carbon reporting becomes more common, straightforward digital tools will be essential if it is to become part of everyday product selection rather than remaining the preserve of sustainability specialists.


Reducing carbon through insulation Insulation affects both embodied and operational emissions. Provided it is specified and installed correctly, insulation reduces the energy needed to heat and cool a building throughout its life. It will therefore “pay back” the carbon emitted during its


manufacture through lower in-use energy consumption. However, the length of that payback period can vary considerably between products and manufacturers. Material choice still matters. The raw materials used, manufacturing process, recycled content, transport and end-of-life treatment can all influence the embodied carbon of insulation.


Glass mineral wool has the lowest embodied carbon of any mainstream insulation in the UK. Knauf Insulation’s glass mineral wool products contain up to 80% recycled content, primarily locally sourced glass cullet, and its St Helens plant uses 100% renewable electricity.


Lower-carbon products can also offer benefits that are immediately relevant to customers. Insulation manufactured using Knauf Insulation’s ECOSE plant- based binder, for example, is soft to touch, easy to handle and produces low levels of dust and volatile organic compounds. Communicating benefits such as these can help overcome the perception that sustainability necessarily involves paying more without receiving anything tangible in return.


Understanding and adoption


Merchants may not control emissions throughout the supply chain, but they have considerable influence over which products are readily available and how their benefits are explained. By stocking products with transparent environmental information, directing customers towards accessible calculation tools and connecting lower embodied carbon with practical benefits, merchants can make sustainable choices easier to understand and easier to adopt. BMJ


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