Abstract
Carbon emissions emanating from infrastructure construction projects are substantial and stem primarily from production of construction materials and use of energy for construction transport and site activities. In recent years, public infrastructure clients world-wide have begun to include carbon reduction goals in their procurement requirements. This is however a new and complex field where practices vary and are still developing. In this paper, we compare models for carbon reduction requirements in infrastructure construction projects based on case studies of large projects in Australia, USA, the Netherlands, Sweden and UK. We found that open, functional carbon reduction requirements were considered innovative but entailed costs for calculating baselines and risks for speculation. Also, high time pressure in projects limits contractors’ opportunities to explore reduction opportunities. Thus, specific, prescriptive requirements may play an important role in client-led, long-term innovation processes. Organizational competence and resources on the buyer side are essential, and policies for carbon reduction should aim to increase client capacity. Further, procurement practices are developed in mutual interaction between clients and suppliers over longer periods of time, which limits possibilities to transfer procurement policies and requirements between contexts.
Highlights
The construction sector causes a substantial part of all carbon emissions, primarily carbon dioxide
In the UK, the water company Anglian Water has served as a role model for the whole industry, demonstrating that it is possible to achieve a 50% reduction in capital carbon and that carbon reduction is often associated with cost reductions
There is a high belief on the policy level in procurement as a driver of change and innovation, especially in a highly government-dominated and outsourced industry such as infrastructure construction
Summary
The construction sector causes a substantial part of all carbon emissions, primarily carbon dioxide. The focus has been on improving the energy efficiency of buildings, while it is only recently that the considerable carbon emissions arising from the manufacturing of construction materials and components, and from construction processes and transport, have been acknowledged [1]. The infrastructure construction sector is recognized as a major source of carbon. Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd emissions and there is increasing awareness that these emissions need to be significantly reduced if the international and national carbon reduction targets are to be met. In the UK, the Green Construction Board has estimated that emissions from the construction, maintenance and operations of infrastructure assets account for 1/6 or 16 % of the nation’s total carbon dioxide emissions
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