Materials & Embodied Carbon Leaders' Alliance Newsletter

Edition #9 - December 2024

2024 has been busy and productive for the MECLA do tank. This year has seen so much positive progress. In 2020 MECLA set about building momentum in the construction industry to cut embodied emissions to bring us onto a Paris Agreement-aligned trajectory. We sought 40 members. It is gratifying that our membership now grown to 190 organisations.

Over the past 12 months we have hosted 16 events bringing experts together from across the construction ecosystem to present and discuss specialist topics including regulatory changes, material-specific advice, designing out carbon, building services, engineered living materials and the various specification guides including:

• Low Carbon Concrete Guide
• Embodied Carbon for Clay Bricks and Roof Tiles
• Embodied Carbon for Plastic Piping
• Embodied Carbon for Concrete Masonry and Roof Tiles

In July we facilitated a “nutcracker” event with Industrial and Landscape Sustainability Collaboration (ILSC), where the barriers and opportunities of low carbon concrete in industrial warehouses were tackled by members of each stage in that asset-type’s project lifecycle. This intense, in person model of collaborative problem solving is replicable to other ‘hard nuts to crack’, so let’s apply it to other challenges in 2025.

The MECLA website now hosts 21 case studies, 5 specification guides, and numerous other resources like fact sheets and presentations. All are free to access and for the benefit of the whole construction ecosystem. And to produce all this work, countless working group sessions and presentations.

MELCA has also been a significant supporter to the NABERS Embodied Carbon Tool released in November and have been a constant contributor to the ASBEC work to develop Australia’s policy roadmap to reduce upfront carbon in the built environment.

Frustratingly, this year has also seen many business-as-usual fossil fuel dependant and high emission decisions made across the economy. This old thinking continues in parallel to all the progress of the energy transition and the decarbonisation of the construction sector. We need to dig deep into the stubborn optimism to continue our hard work, and to grow the reach and impact of our collaboration. To this end, we have a so much to look forward to in 2025 as you’ll see in the newsletter.

Systems change takes time and sustained effort. Together we are driving the change to cut the emissions of Australia’s built environment. Our alliance works because of the energy, generosity and expertise of our members and participants. So I’d like to express my thanks and gratitude to the volunteer contributors to MECLA. Thanks also to WWF and Climate-KIC for enduring support to keep MECLA working!!

Wishing you a happy Chrismas and have a restful summer break,

Hudson.

MECLA Chair.

PS. This photo offers a wonderful snapshot of the multi-sector (research, government, private sector), multi-disciplinary (engineering, tech, architecture, building, policy, research) at the recent DBI International Conference in Melbourne University November 19th 2024,  all working in collaboration. Thank you!  

Left to right: Dr Behzad Rismanchi, Dr Fei Wang, Tom Petty, Hudson Worsley, Jason Zhang, Dr Ali Kashani, Lucy Marsland, Stefan Preuss, Rob Law, Dr Tuan Ngo

MECLA Spotlight on Mandatory Reporting and Embodied Carbon - 5 December

In MECLA’s Spotlight on Mandatory Reporting and Embodied Carbon experts from across industry come together to discuss the reporting framework and the strategic implications it has on their business practices and approaches to scope 3 emissions. The conversation goes beyond compliance to interrogate how mandatory reporting could drive systems change within industry, and how corporations can make it actionable. 

Speakers:

• Darryl Stuckey – Head of Environmental Sustainability at Lendlease
• Mark Siebentritt – Executive Director at Edge Impact
• Monique Isenheim – Head of Market Development at Infrastructure Sustainability Council
• Jessica Richmond – CEO & Co-Founder of Sumday

MECLA Spotlight on Specifying Low Carbon Clay and Cement Bricks, Roof Tiles and Glass Piping 

10 December

In this MECLA Spotlight representatives from WG5d introduce their specification guides, where the products are at in their decarbonisation journey, and discuss how they can be used. 

Speakers: 

• Josephine Vaughan – Lecturer at University of Newcastle  

• Jack Gill – General Manager Thinkbrick Australia and ARTA

• Cindy Bray – Executive General Manager PIPA
• Cathy Inglis – Group CEO Thinkbrick Australia and ARTA

Defining Embodied Carbon

12 December

What exactly is embodied carbon, and how can all players across the construction value chain align to effectively measure and reduce it? In this webinar, co-hosted between MECLA and Smartcrete CRC, speakers explore current programs and pathways aimed at better understanding and addressing embodied carbon in Australian buildings and infrastructure.

Speakers: 

• Evan Smith – National Sustainability Manager

• Clare Tubolets – CEO SmartCrete CRC

• Katie Eyles – Sector Lead - NABERS
• Lucy Marsland – Senior Environmental Designer - Atelier Ten
• Alison Scotland - CEO at ASBEC

MECLA Subgroup - Property Investors & Finance

MECLA had the first subgroup meeting for Property Investors & Finance on December 11th. The subgroup will start up in the new year with a focus on several ways in which to influence finance to drive embodied carbon reductions. Themes for the work the subgroup will focus on includes:

• Leveraging the new ASFI taxonomy to ake sure embodied carbon is included in definitions of sustainable
• Help investors understand how to ask for embodied carbon reductions, and what to target with investment
• More explicitly factoring embodied carbon reduction into labelling, and provide some specificity around levels of reduction that could be requested by finance
• Investor eductaion and informing on pathways to lower embodied carbon and the importance of it
• Linking embodied carbon to helping investors set and achieve their own climate transition targets

If you are interested in being part of this group please get in contact!

MECLA is proud to partner with the Net Zero Construction Summit, happening on 5th March 2025 in Sydney and virtually. This premier event brings together industry leaders driving innovation, strategy, and policy in sustainable construction and infrastructure. Secure your spot  by the 13th December 2024 to take advantage of the Super Early Bird rate (20% off) and use our exclusive code NZC10MECLA for an additional 10% discount!

MECLA Resources Page

You can find all our MECLA Resources on our  MECLA Resources Page or by clicking on the style of resource you are looking for directly below.

If your organisation has a case study please consider sharing it with us. You can submit a case study on the MECLA Website. Each submitted case study will be screened by the MECLA Project Control Group (PCG) before being featured on this website.

You can find out more about MECLA by going to our website, by signing up to our newsletter or following us on LinkedIn to stay updated on future events and developments.

As always, email us with any questions and enquiries at info@mecla.org.au.

MECLA is funded through a mixture of industry and government commitments. We would like to thank all industry organisations, plus the NSW and SA Government that have already made a contribution to support MECLA going national.