Europe’s busiest airport, Heathrow, is partnering with One Click LCA for the use of its decarbonization platform in planning new construction or renovation projects. Under the airport’s newly established Carbon Management Standard — developed in alignment with PAS 2080 — major buildings/infrastructure project options will be assessed, and data used as a baseline for carbon reduction efforts. This measure is a key step in fulfilling Heathrow's commitments under its Net Zero Plan, to fully understand its carbon impact, procure low-carbon materials, and phase out the most carbon-intensive steel, concrete, and asphalt products from its construction projects.
Image Credit: One Click LCA
Carbon reduction efforts have the most impact during the design phase. Data-driven material selection allows project managers to make holistic decisions that lower the overall embedded carbon of their construction projects. This impact is significant for both new building and infrastructure projects, and the renovation of existing structures. The airport will use data from its preferred material options as reference points for future projects, as a baseline from which the carbon reduction potential in new material options will be measured.
“The aviation sector has a critical role to play in supporting the UK’s 2050 net-zero targets. At Heathrow, we manage over 4.5 square miles of infrastructure - how we design and build has a significant influence on our carbon footprint. Partnering with One Click LCA will help us better measure and understand the embodied carbon in our construction projects, enabling more informed decisions as we work toward our long-term sustainability goals,” says Alistair Awcock - Infrastructure Director at Heathrow.
With access to the One Click LCA platform, Heathrow project managers will have access to the world's largest construction LCA database, with more than 300,000 data points. The platform will also allow them to make automated and verified life-cycle analyses for entire projects, understanding and affecting emissions from materials production to structure decommission.
“Heathrow is at the forefront of carbon reduction efforts in the aviation industry, and we are thrilled to partner with them to make their important work easier. As global aviation works to decarbonize, looking at the big picture is vitally important, and reducing embodied carbon in airport structures is an important step in ensuring future net-zero travel,” says Panu Pasanen, CEO of One Click LCA.
After a drop during the COVID-19 pandemic, global aviation carbon emissions are now tracking below the 2019 baseline. Efforts across the board, such as sustainable aviation fuel, route scheduling changes, and reduction in airport carbon emissions, are being taken across the aviation industry to lower the overall carbon impact. Heathrow is fully committed to mitigating the effects of climate change and meeting the 2050 emission requirements as set down by the UK government.