A new Carbon Management Framework aims to set new standards for carbon measurement that will be adopted across the industry.
A new framework is being developed to help engineers, construction firms, financial institutions and governments to build affordable low carbon infrastructure by providing guidance and knowledge to enable industry stakeholders to adopt best practices.
FIDIC, the world’s largest international federation of consulting engineers representing over 40.000 member companies, has embarked on a journey to define such best practice through the FIDIC Carbon Management Framework. The framework is a key part of the Carbon Collaboration Initiative, launched during FIDIC’s Global Leadership Forum Summit in Geneva in April 2024, which aims to foster global partnerships for carbon management in infrastructure, setting the stage for more comprehensive and integrated approaches to carbon management and reduction.
The key objectives of the Carbon Collaboration Initiative include: –
Influence and advocacy: The initiative aims to influence industry practices and advocate for the widespread adoption of carbon management strategies.
Measurement and improvement: To provide a structure for measuring carbon impact and driving continuous performance improvement.
Guidance and flexibility: The Carbon Management Framework offers guidance that is adaptable to different levels of organisational maturity, helping stakeholders to progressively adopt best practices.
Sustainability integration: By embedding carbon management into the core of project planning and execution, the framework supports organisations in contributing meaningfully to global sustainability efforts.
Jens Peter Saul, CEO of Ramboll, who has played a key role, with others, in the development of the initiative, said: “Infrastructure is responsible for over 70% of carbon emissions globally so the engineering and consulting industry has the responsibility and opportunity of helping to significantly reduce this impact. Up to now, there is no collective understanding of a good standard in carbon management when planning and engineering infrastructure and often it is not part of the process, so it’s clear that many clients and institutions globally require guidance on how to move towards low carbon infrastructure.
“If climate change were a pandemic, we would quickly come together and share best practice, knowledge and data of how to overcome the virus. But climate change is even more serious, so we need to act now. With the Carbon Management Framework, we want to set a standard for carbon measurement and achieve alignment, as then we can go to investors and clients to get them to sign up to it.”
Levels of carbon management
The Carbon Management Framework is organised into several levels, each representing a stage of maturity in carbon management practices: –
Level 1: Focuses on fostering a mindset oriented toward carbon reduction in the delivery teams and understanding the fundamental principles of carbon impact of a project.
Level 2: Builds on level 1 by systematically challenging a project’s carbon emissions, starting to implement whole-life carbon reduction opportunities collaboratively and communicating any barriers.
Level 3: Developing and delivering projects with whole life carbon reduction central to a project’s outcomes and delivery model.
Former CEO of Mott MacDonald in the UK, Mike Haigh, another key player in developing the initiative, stressed the need for the Carbon Management Framework not to become ‘just another initiative’ that sits on a shelf and is ignored. “Words are fine, but we also need to see the proof of the framework actually being used because that will be the test. This unique initiative has the potential to accelerate the adoption of carbon management on projects globally. Without this we cannot achieve whole-life carbon becoming core to a project’s outcomes which is critical if we are to address the climate emergency.
Commenting on the initiative, Basma Eissa, head of policy, ESG and sustainability at FIDIC, said: “At FIDIC, we recognise that infrastructure is at the heart of the global carbon challenge, contributing to over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions. Our Carbon Collaboration Initiative reflects our unwavering commitment to lead the way in driving down carbon footprints in infrastructure projects around the world. With our unique ability to bring together diverse stakeholders, including engineers, developers and financial institutions, we aim to foster global collaboration on adopting sustainable practices.”
