Big News on Embodied Carbon

2nd Aug 2024

Embodied carbon reporting to be introduced in 2025 Australian National Construction Code and work to be undertaken for minimum standard in NCC 2028.

NCC 2025

Australian state and federal building ministers have agreed to include a voluntary pathway in the National Construction Code (NCC) 2025 for commercial buildings to calculate and report on embodied carbon. The voluntary calculation and reporting for commercial buildings will be based on utilising the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) method.

NCC 2028

Ministers also tasked the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) with investigating how to incorporate and fund the inclusion of a future minimum standard for embodied carbon in NCC 2028. This has the potential to be a gamechanger for building materials suppliers (and EPD holders) as a minimum standard would likely apply to residential, as well as non-residential buildings – a far larger market.

The NCC sets the minimum required level for the health, safety, amenity, accessibility, and sustainability of new buildings in Australia.

The measures are being taken to make Australia’s buildings more resilient to extreme weather events driven by climate change and to further support Australia’s transition to a net zero built environment.

Further Information

Read the full Building Ministers’ Meeting Communique