Library · Policy
What the 2027 embodied-carbon caps actually require
A plain reading of the incoming limits, and where bio-based assemblies already comply.
From 2027 the caps apply to modules A1–A5 for buildings above 1,000 m², expressed in kgCO₂e/m² GIA. The compliance route is a calculation, not a product certificate, which means an unusual material with a good dataset can pass where a familiar one fails.
Bio-based envelopes already sit below the 2027 cap in every scenario we modelled, and below the indicative 2030 cap in six of nine. The binding constraint moves to structure and substructure, which the caps do not currently exempt.
The practical advice is unglamorous: start collecting EPDs now, model at concept stage rather than at tender, and keep the calculation file with the drawings so it can be audited later.
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