The Environment Agency has launched a new online tool to enable construction companies to calculate the carbon footprint of their projects. The tool, developed with Jacobs Consultants, enables them to calculate the carbon dioxide in the materials used, the direct emissions from employees’ personal travel and transportation of raw materials, earthworks and excavation emissions and waste management. Its use will be mandatory on all the Agency’s construction projects.

“At the Agency we are always looking to ways of reducing the environmental impact from our own construction projects,” said technical advisor Andrew Powell. “We spend around £200m a year on construction projects, which accounts for about 3% of the construction civil engineering sector.”

Auditing one of its flood defence projects, the Agency found one tonne of ordinary Portland cement emits 970kg of carbon dioxide when made in a wet kiln while ash cement emits 585kg and slag cement 280kg. The Agency used around 1.5mt of cement in its flood work in 2005-6.
www.environment-agency.gov.uk