Life cycle analysis, an essential tool for reducing your carbon footprint
The law on the energy transition for green growth recognises the circular economy as a national goal. To take part in this, the commercial property sector can adopt a number of solutions, but first and foremost must identify the sources of pollution using comprehensive measurement tools.
The French Ministry for Ecological Transition has made it clear that reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions concerns all sectors of activity and must be supported by everyone – citizens, local authorities and businesses. As a major contributor to the country’s carbon footprint, the building sector, and commercial property in particular, must start working now to find solutions at every stage of its lifecycle, from the extraction of the materials needed for its construction through to its destruction and operation. The National Low Carbon Strategy (Stratégie Nationale Bas Carbone – SNBC), France’s roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, sets a target for buildings of a 49% reduction by 2030, compared with 2015, and complete decarbonisation by 2050. The proposed measures include promoting ‘construction and renovation products as well as equipment with a lower carbon footprint (from the circular economy or bio-sourced) and high energy and environmental performance throughout their life cycle’.
Measuring to reduce
There are various methods for measuring our carbon footprint, such as using an emission factor or a life cycle analysis (LCA), with a greater or lesser level of detail, taking into account all the phases of a product’s existence, from design to end of life. At the same time, this method incorporates a multi-criteria approach, examining input flows such as water, oil and gas resources, as well as output flows such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and liquid discharges. This LCA integrates embodied carbon (the sum of all greenhouse gas emissions over the lifetime of a building, linked to its construction, maintenance and end-of-life) and operational carbon (the sum of all greenhouse gas emissions linked to the operation of a building throughout its lifetime). Last March, MEPs adopted new measures as part of the European directive on the energy performance of buildings (EPBD) to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, taking into account the life cycle analysis of products.
Responsible purchasing policy
Thanks to this comprehensive analysis, it is possible to identify the major sources of carbon footprint and then to look for the most appropriate solutions to reduce it. When a building is in use, the layout of the workspace plays a significant role in the company’s carbon footprint. One of the first steps to take in this area is to implement a responsible purchasing policy. According to Afnor, the French Association for Standardisation, this means ‘purchasing goods or services from a supplier or service provider selected to minimise environmental and social impacts, and to promote good practice in terms of ethics and human rights’. These good practices are described in the international standard ISO 20400. We sometimes speak of eco-responsible purchasing, when the buyer favours goods and services with less environmental impact: short supply chains, eco-designed products, goods and services that consume less energy, water and transport, etc. In addition to taking into account the origin of the products chosen for the interior fittings, it is also advisable to opt for reusable and flexible elements.
Ensure that spaces are well designed before they are installed
One of the major sources of pollution when it comes to interior design is the fact that workspaces are regularly modified. For years, this modification has resulted in the destruction and replacement of equipment. Based on LCA, we understand that this practice must change if France is to meet its carbon footprint targets. Spaces must therefore be designed to take into account the changing needs of occupants from the outset, whether this is because the business is evolving, because the organisation of work is changing or, quite simply, because there are increasingly frequent changes of tenant. In recent years, the commercial property market has been shaken up by companies that no longer have enough economic visibility to make a long-term commitment to their office leases. The hybridisation of the world of work, with more and more people teleworking from home or in coworking spaces, is pushing managers to be more flexible.
In this context, between the need to reduce their carbon footprint and to retain as much flexibility as possible in their layouts, Clestra’s solutions are perfectly suited: removable partitions, doors, movable walls, acoustic bubbles… all these products are eco-designed, with factory prefabrication to limit on-site impact. They offer all the flexibility needed in today’s economic climate, as well as the sustainability required to meet our CSR goals.
Workspaces equipped with Clestra movable and prefabricated partitions.
