Brogan MacDonald
4 December 2024
Reputation and ethics in delivering Net Zero Embodied Carbon: are we asking the right questions?
How do we decarbonise the built environment while considering the global ethical dilemmas that are often left out of the conversation? And how can we contribute to global decarbonisation vs project decarbonisation? We hosted an event to start this collaborative conversation, here’s what we uncovered.
Image copyright Alexander Ørstrøm Bjødstrup 2015
On November 20, 2024, Ramboll hosted a "Reputation and Ethics in Delivering Net Zero Embodied Carbon" event at The Gherkin - bringing together industry leaders, thinkers, and changemakers to address one of the most critical yet overlooked challenges in our industry.
Unlike many sustainability events that tread familiar ground, this event was designed to spark meaningful, and sometimes uncomfortable, conversations about the ethical considerations shaping our industry’s future.
The morning featured a keynote from ‘The Corporate Philosopher’ Roger Steare, an insightful presentation by Paul Astle reflecting on the material challenges faced in the built environment, followed by a dynamic panel discussion with Nils Rage of Stanhope and Sameen Khan of The Climate Group.
Here are the key themes and takeaways from the event.
Our industry focuses on project emissions, without necessarily understanding the global impacts of these decisions.
Roger Steare opened the event with a compelling exploration of how ethical decision-making must guide our work in the built environment. He argued for placing humanity and shared values at the heart of our industry, reminding us that the key to happiness is rooted in trusting relationships, good-health and having enough. He challenged the audience to think about:
- The emotional side of business: Ethical leadership requires us to lead with compassion and consider the impact of our actions on others. Not just our close family or colleagues, but all humans.
- Fairly sharing resources: This can only be achieved through value-based decision-making and open, democratic dialogue.
- The bigger picture: Sustainability is about more than metrics; it’s about ensuring a liveable future for our children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. We can’t measure that in kgCO2e/m2.
His powerful call to action was that leaders must act now on decisions others will eventually be forced to make and empower their teams to ask difficult, even uncomfortable, questions. A quote that resonated with our audience: “You already know the answers – but you must have the confidence to act.”
Paul Astle explored the practicalities of ethical decision-making in the built environment, drawing on Ramboll’s ethos of fairness and decency as a foundation. He highlighted the need for a global perspective in tackling embodied carbon – currently seldom considered. Our industry focuses on project emissions, without necessarily understanding the global impacts of these decisions.
Paul delved into the challenges of using materials like Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBS), a by-product of the steel industry which conveniently works as a lower-carbon cement replacement. While GGBS reduces project-level emissions, it raises critical ethical questions:
- Is it ethical to use high levels of GGBS on a project if it depletes resources that could have a greater impact elsewhere?
- How can we ensure global decarbonisation while meeting local project demands?
A key point was the urgent need for transparency in supply chains - we cannot make informed ethical decisions without knowing where our materials come from. Our shared goal must be to demonstrate how every project contributes to global decarbonisation, fostering collaboration across supply chains and scaling impact.
The panel discussion with Nils Rage and Sameen Khan brought the conversation to the strategic level, focusing on how the industry can influence supply chains and rally around shared decarbonisation goals.
Nils highlighted the importance of focusing on outcomes rather than prescriptive solutions, emphasising that over-specifying a single material can unintentionally limit innovation and long-term sustainability. He stressed the need for collective responsibility and clients creating lofty targets that push boundaries.
Sameen emphasised the power of demand signals - the messages sent to markets by prioritising specific low-carbon materials. She called for strategic communication with supply chains to align ambitions and drive change. This is the key focus of The Climate Group’s work - initiatives such as SteelZero and ConcreteZero, which Ramboll UK are proud to be members of. These initiatives drive market demand-signals for global decarbonisation of these hard to abate sectors.
So, what solutions are available, and how do we drive global decarbonisation thinking? The panel discussed what a reward mechanism could look like for developers who embrace a more global, nuanced approach to decarbonisation—one that celebrates global contributions to decarbonisation but doesn’t necessarily achieve a “stellar” project-level carbon value.
The challenge lies in aligning this global perspective with client project-level targets and investor KPIs. The panel also explored how specifying material carbon targets in concrete, rather than naming a specific cement replacement, could drive supply chain innovation. This approach would not only support global decarbonisation but also reduce over-reliance on a single cement alternative, fostering a more diverse and resilient material strategy.
The discussions underscored several important themes:
- Ethics must lead: Sustainability decisions must prioritise equity, transparency, and humility.
- Think global, act local: The path to decarbonisation requires global thinking, rather than project focused emission reduction.
- Beware of demand signals: What we prioritise in material specifications sends powerful messages to markets, shaping supply chains for better or worse.
- Transparency is critical: Understanding the origins and impacts of materials is key to making informed ethical decisions.
- Act now, lead boldly: Leaders must take decisive actions today to set the standard for tomorrow.
As we strive to meet the challenges of net zero embodied carbon, one thing is clear: the ethical dilemmas we face will not disappear if we ignore them. Instead, we must embrace them, ask the hard questions, and work collaboratively to find solutions that balance local needs with global goals.
This isn’t just about decarbonisation metrics - it’s about creating a fairer, more equitable future for everyone. We must empower our teams to lead with intuition, humility, and courage, ensuring that no one is left behind.
Want to know more?
Brogan MacDonald
Head of Sustainability–Structures
+44 7814 760380