Cover note for the report
Published 7 July 2025
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consideration-of-embodied-carbon-in-new-buildings/cover-note-for-the-report
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is pleased to publish The Practical, Technical and Economic Impacts of Measuring and Reducing Embodied Carbon in New Buildings, a research report prepared for MHCLG by AECOM.
MHCLG commissioned research to help build our understanding of the challenges involved in addressing embodied carbon in new buildings. While significant progress has been made in reducing operational emissions from buildings, embodied carbon – the carbon emitted from the construction and maintenance of buildings – remains less well understood both in industry and government.
This report is being published to share important and helpful findings on measuring and reducing embodied carbon. It should be noted that:
- Publication of this report does not indicate any specific future action by MHCLG or wider government. We are considering the findings of this research as we consider whether government interventions would be appropriate.
- Recommendations made in the report are those of the authors, not government. Publication should not be taken to mean endorsement of specific recommendations.
This research project explored the barriers to and costs of measuring and reducing embodied carbon, looked at the data gaps throughout the measurement process and assessed the potential impacts of widespread consideration of embodied carbon.
This published report sets out findings on the availability and quality of data, the capabilities and limitations of current tools and methodologies, and the economic and technical considerations faced by industry. It covers a range of building types and highlights the complex trade-offs and practicalities of reducing embodied carbon.
In doing so, it provides a detailed picture of the current landscape and contributes valuable insight to the wider conversation on whole-life carbon.
We would like to thank AECOM for their work in delivering this research.