PAS 2080 Carbon management in Infrastructure

1 Update PAS 2080:2023
2 Introduction
3 Carbon, cost and climate
4 Starting and accelerating change
5 Launch
6 Related articles on Designing Buildings

[edit] Update PAS 2080:2023

April 5, 2023 saw the launch of the revised PAS2080 and supporting guidance document.

PAS 2080 is a globally-applicable standard for managing carbon in building and infrastructure. It looks at the whole value chain and aims to reduce carbon and cost through intelligent design, construction and use. It’s a key reference document in the UK government’s Construction Playbook that’s increasingly becoming the go-to specification for carbon management in the built environment. see PAS 2080:2023 Carbon management in buildings and infrastructure

Link to the PAS2080 document here.

[edit] Introduction

PAS 2080 Carbon management in Infrastructure, is world's first standard for managing infrastructure carbon, offering practical 'how to' guidance to cut cost, improve efficiency and slow climate change.

It is increasingly clear that cutting carbon cuts costs. A causal link was identified in the Treasury's Infrastructure Carbon Review (ICR) in 2013. Research for the ICR conducted by the Green Construction Board's Infrastructure Working Group concluded that if the UK infrastructure industry adopted the practices pioneered by those leading on carbon reduction, it would benefit the UK economy by almost £1.5bn per year.

Carbon reduction makes this economic dividend possible by stimulating innovation and driving efficiency. Crudely, carbon is a proxy for material and energy use: in an increasingly resource-constrained and competitive world, innovative, low carbon companies will have an advantage in global markets as well as at home.

The ICR set out 10 recommendations, encompassing leadership, communication and culture, metrics and governance, commercial solutions, innovation and standards. One of these recommendations was the creation of a new publicly available specification (PAS) for carbon reduction.

PAS 2080: Carbon Management in Infrastructure, developed with the British Standards Institution by Mott MacDonald and Arup under the aegis of the Green Construction Board, is the world's first standard on carbon management in infrastructure.

[edit] Carbon, cost and climate

Direct cost benefit is only one part of the carbon reduction story. The climate is now an average 1°C warmer than it was before the industrial revolution and the pace of warming has accelerated in the last 50 years. On our current emissions trajectory, our planet will be 5°C hotter by the end of the 21st century than it was at the start of the 19th.

World diplomats gathered at the COP21 climate change negotiations in Paris in December 2015 to discuss carbon reduction measures to keep the temperature rise below 2°C. While the talks resulted in unprecedented agreement on the need for action, we can't expect governments to solve the problem alone. It is down to individuals and organisations to act.

In June 2015, Mott MacDonald and Anglia Ruskin University published a report, Climate Change and Business Survival, which showed that global insured losses attributed to climate change have risen from US$40bn a year in 1980 to about US$160bn today.

Due to rapid global development, the value of the world's asset base will rise from US$20trn to US$80trn over the coming 20 years. Pitted against this extra infrastructure, the worsening climate will drive annual global economic losses of US$1trn by 2035.

The changes in store over the coming two decades are locked in due to historic emissions, so the report calls for investment to build resilience.

But we have the power to change things beyond that. By acting now to reduce carbon emissions, we can influence the Earth's climate beyond 2035. And that needs to be a key priority for everybody involved in designing, delivering and operating infrastructure: our commercial survival depends on it.

The team at the Cambridge Water Recycling Centre extension delivered a 64% reduction in carbon while also seeing a 24% reduction against cost

[edit] Starting and accelerating change

Until now, businesses had to steer their own carbon cutting agendas, following the example of leading clients that have cut cost by cutting carbon. Whether you're some way into your low-carbon journey or wondering how to get started, PAS 2080 offers the chance to advance rapidly and reap the rewards. For many, complying with the standard will lead to a rethink of 'business as usual'. As always, it will be businesses that are most capable at change that gain the most.

[edit] Common language

PAS 2080 and its accompanying guidance document provide a common language and framework for asset owners/managers, designers, constructors and product/material suppliers to manage whole-life carbon. It paves the way for consistency of methods and reporting which will make it easier to talk about carbon management and cost right across the supply chain, and right across the infrastructure sector.

[edit] Managing, not measuring

There are already many standards which detail how to quantify carbon. PAS 2080 references these but differs in providing a framework for managing carbon, focusing on how members of the value chain behave when delivering projects and programmes of work – delivering reductions and attendant benefits.

[edit] Demanding the right behaviours

PAS 2080 highlights the importance of strong leadership and early supplier engagement, and the need for a culture and governance systems that encourage and reward challenge and innovation. It provides guidance on setting targets, establishing carbon baselines, and reporting performance transparently. It also sets out stages throughout the infrastructure delivery lifecycle at which leaders should challenge their supply chain, in order to achieve the greatest carbon and cost benefits.

[edit] Non regulatory

PAS 2080 is a voluntary standard. This allows businesses to find their own way to best practice.

[edit] Complementing existing standards

PAS 2080 complements an already significant suite of standards focused on carbon quantification, which include PAS 2050 for products. It is also compatible with standards for Building Information Modelling (BIM) and information management to aid integration of carbon management with other developments in the industry.

[edit] Prospects for a global standard

Up to 95% of the work the British Standards Institution (BSI) does is international, shaping what global best practice looks like. PAS 2080 could in time lead to an International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) on carbon management. It has been authored to meet World Trade Organisation requirements as well as standards for public open consultation, paving the way for it to become a global standard. Being PAS 2080 compliant will give firms an 'early mover advantage' in global markets.

PAS 2080 will not guarantee low carbon success. But if applied intelligently with good business management then it will be a powerful enabler to cut emissions, drive down cost and unleash innovation in design and technology.

[edit] Launch

PAS 2080 was published by BSI in May 2016. It was launched at the Infrastructure Carbon Review 2 Years On conference held on 4th May 2016, accompanied by a guidance document, associated articles, case studies and worked examples.

Mike Putnam, Chair of the Green Construction Boars and President and CEO of Skanksa UK said, “This conference and the PAS demonstrate how industry is willing to show clear leadership to tackle climate change. I want to warmly thank the many industry participants involved in the development of the PAS.”

Chris Newsome, Director for Asset Management at Anglian Water and Chair of the Green Construction Boards's Infrastructure Working Group said, “We are now seeing more evidence of leadership across the value chain in delivering reduced carbon reduced cost solutions. The Green Construction Board Infrastructure Working Group is determined to maintain this momentum with the challenge of embedding the solid framework of PAS 2080 across the infrastructure sector which everyone in a business from CEO to carbon practitioner can follow.”

This article originally appeared as Low carbon game-changer published by the Institution of Civil Engineers on 10 March 2016. It was written by Mark Enzer, lead author of the Infrastructure Carbon Review and Group Practice Manager at Mott MacDonald.

--The Institution of Civil Engineers