Assessing the embodied carbon of a product during the design stage can reveal the true environmental cost of design choices long before a single item is produced. It has the potential to highlight areas where emissions are ingrained through material selection, manufacturing procedures, and supplier decisions. As the race towards achieving net zero gains momentum globally, product manufacturers have increasingly been scrutinised to consider sustainability in their designs from the conceptual stage. Adopting early-stage embodied carbon assessment in manufacturing is a credible way to inform sustainability during the procurement of raw materials and final product design stages.
mbodied carbon is the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) from producing a product. This is also known as upfront carbon or cradle-to-gate carbon emissions. It focuses on:
It is different from operational carbon, which describes emissions produced during the use phase. The key issue with embodied carbon is that it cannot be altered after the product is manufactured. Early intervention through Embodied Carbon Assessment (ECA) is therefore crucial for sustainable manufacturing.
Though there is no single consensus, data from the UK government indicates that the industry, manufacturing and construction sectors jointly account for more than 30% of CO2 emissions. In the built environment alone, embodied carbon makes up about 13% of its total emissions output, and as building operations become more efficient, it becomes more important to mitigate emissions that come from embodied sources. Design decisions made early in a product’s development can contribute to reducing its total environmental impact.
Implementing an embodied carbon assessment in manufacturing at the design stage allows developers to:
As demand for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) grows, embodied carbon assessments become critical for demonstrating product transparency and winning tenders in low-carbon procurement markets.
A well-laid-out plan helps manufacturers get accurate results when they assess embodied carbon. The process involves specific steps that give a full picture of a product's carbon footprint during its lifecycle stages.
1. Define the goal, scope and boundariesEstablish the unit of analysis (e.g., kg CO₂e per product) and define the boundaries of the system (e.g., cradle-to-gate).
2. Analyse the inventoryCompile primary and secondary data on waste, energy, materials and transportation distances. All sources of GHG emissions must be identified to understand their environmental impacts.
3. Interpret the dataDetermine high-impact materials or processes, or hotspots and model substitutes. You can employ the services of expert third-party sustainability consultants to help you identify emissions hotspots and reduction opportunities.
Learn More: How Organisations Can Reduce Embodied Carbon
Integrating embodied carbon assessments in manufacturing workflows can result in several benefits:
Reducing embodied carbon in manufacturing requires a coordinated approach across design, procurement, engineering and sustainability. Below are some of the most effective strategies, as outlined in The Manufacturer’s Guide to Embodied Carbon:
1. Dematerialisation: Use Less to Do More
Redesign products to use fewer materials. Known as dematerialisation, this approach cuts emissions while reducing costs.
3. Improve Energy Efficiency
Energy use in factories, especially from thermal sources like gas, contributes to embodied carbon. Manufacturers can:
Many carbon hotspots lie upstream, in supplier processes. Collaboration is key:
Though the above steps offer a broad overview of how embodied carbon assessment in manufacturing can help reduce environmental impact, different manufacturing processes and industries will have their unique needs that require customised approaches. Hence, it is important to consider engaging with third-party consultants who can design specialised solutions to fit a company’s specific operational needs.
PB Design, a leading UK manufacturer of battery chargers, UPS systems and standby power solutions, is on a determined journey toward carbon neutrality. With growing pressure from clients, regulators and internal stakeholders to reduce emissions, the company sought clarity on how to start measuring and lowering its carbon footprint. Their first step? A strategic partnership with Tunley Environmental to carry out an embodied carbon assessment in their manufacturing process.
The initial focus was PB Design’s ‘Black Start Controller’, a critical component in ensuring power resilience for DC and AC standby systems. With expert support from the sustainability scientists at Tunley Environmental, the team conducted a detailed embodied carbon assessment, gathering primary data on materials, supply chain inputs and energy use during production. They were thus able to determine that each Black Start Controller unit was found to produce around 900 kg CO₂e less embodied carbon than the conventional solution typically used in the industry. Over the full lifespan of each unit, this equated to a 2.5-tonne reduction in carbon dioxide equivalents, comparable to the emissions from charging 3,000 smartphones. For a single product line, the carbon savings were both environmentally and commercially significant.
See the full case study: PB Design Case Study with Tunley
Beyond its environmental potential, integrating embodied assessment in manufacturing can also help reduce costs by optimising materials and energy use. By starting early, manufacturers can make smarter decisions about materials, suppliers and processes, aligning product development with sustainability goals and market demands. If you’d like to measure the impact of your product with an embodied carbon assessment, you can book a free consultation with Tunley’s expert sustainability scientists here.