Life-cycle assessment in practice: Reducing embodied carbon in airport infrastructure

The new approach is embedded in Heathrow’s Carbon Management Standard, developed in alignment with PAS 2080, the global specification for managing infrastructure carbon. By mandating LCAs, Heathrow aims to:

• Quantify the embodied carbon of major infrastructure projects.
• Establish material baselines to inform future procurement.
• Phase out high-carbon products such as intensive steel, asphalt, and concrete.
• Benchmark the carbon reduction potential of alternative materials over time.

This development reflects a broader industry shift: embodied carbon, historically overlooked compared to operational emissions, is now recognised as a decisive factor in achieving net-zero in construction and infrastructure.

Why construction LCAs matter for large-scale infrastructure

Embodied carbon represents emissions from material extraction, manufacturing, transport, installation, maintenance, and end-of-life. Unlike operational energy use, which can be improved during a building’s life, embodied carbon is locked in at the design stage.

Studies show that design decisions made before construction begins can determine up to 50% of a project’s lifetime carbon footprint. For a hub as large as Heathrow — with 4.5 square miles of terminals, runways, and support facilities — early decisions on materials and methods can translate into significant long-term impact.

A well-structured construction LCA provides:

• Comparability: A transparent basis for evaluating material options.
• Predictability: Insight into how current material choices affect future performance against carbon benchmarks.
• Compliance readiness: Evidence for meeting regulatory requirements such as the EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR).

Alistair Awcock, Heathrow’s Infrastructure Director, noted:

“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.”

Leveraging data to inform low-carbon decisions

Through the One Click LCA platform, Heathrow gains access to:

• 500,000+ verified LCA datasets — covering steel, concrete, asphalt, insulation, MEP systems, and more.
  
  
• Project-wide automation — LCAs can be performed on entire buildings or infrastructure projects, from design through decommissioning.
  
  
• Workflow integration — seamless compatibility with BIM tools such as Revit and Tekla ensures that carbon data is embedded directly in project planning.
  
  

This ensures that project managers, engineers, and designers are no longer dependent on fragmented or generic data, but can instead build robust baselines that serve as decision-making tools across procurement cycles.

Panu Pasanen, CEO & Founder of One Click LCA, emphasised:

“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 decarbonise, 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.”

The broader aviation context

Aviation is responsible for approximately 2–3% of global carbon emissions, but its indirect impact through airport infrastructure and supply chains is often underestimated. Heathrow’s approach complements measures such as:

• The scaling of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs).
• Optimisation of flight routing and scheduling.
• Electrification of ground operations.

By targeting embodied carbon in airport structures, Heathrow adds a new dimension to aviation’s decarbonisation strategy — one that directly affects contractors, consultants, and product suppliers.

Implications for AEC professionals

For architects, engineers, contractors, and sustainability consultants working on Heathrow projects, construction LCAs are no longer optional. They form a compliance requirement and a performance differentiator.

This shift requires:

• Integration into project workflows — LCAs must be embedded early in the design process rather than added later for reporting.
• Confidence in compliance — ensuring results meet EN 15978 for buildings and EN 17472 for infrastructure projects.
• Data literacy — teams must be able to interpret EPDs, benchmark alternatives, and justify procurement decisions with verifiable carbon data.

Implications for manufacturers

Manufacturers supplying Heathrow — or other regulated European projects — face increasing pressure to publish environmental product declarations (EPDs). Without verified product-level data, materials risk being excluded from procurement decisions.

The regulatory landscape is tightening rapidly:

• CPR (Construction Products Regulation): Mandatory carbon reporting and digital product passports for specific product groups from 2026.
• ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation): Expanding requirements for product sustainability data, including construction materials.
• CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism): Importers of high-carbon steel, aluminium, and cement must pay tariffs from 2026.
  
  

Manufacturers that invest in EPD creation now not only secure compliance but also strengthen their competitive position in bids and tenders.

Key lessons from Heathrow for global projects

1. Start early — integrate construction LCAs at concept design to capture the largest reduction potential.
   
   
2. Rely on verified data — EPDs and standardised datasets eliminate uncertainty in material comparisons.
   
   
3. Align with regulation — CPR, ESPR, and EPBD make LCAs legally binding, not just voluntary.
   
   
4. Build for scale — automation and API integration reduce manual input, allowing organisations to handle large project portfolios cost-effectively.
   
   
5. Engage the supply chain — collaboration between AEC professionals and manufacturers is critical to close data gaps and ensure consistent benchmarks.

Frequently asked questions

What is a construction life-cycle assessment (LCA)?
A construction LCA quantifies the environmental impacts of buildings or infrastructure projects across their life-cycle — from raw material extraction through demolition. It provides a scientific basis for comparing material options and is increasingly mandated under regulations such as EN 15978 and EN 15804.

Why did Heathrow mandate LCAs for construction projects?
Heathrow adopted LCAs to better measure and reduce embodied carbon in its infrastructure projects, in alignment with PAS 2080 and the UK’s net-zero target for 2050. LCAs enable the airport to set baselines, reduce reliance on carbon-intensive materials, and ensure procurement decisions are data-driven.

How do EPDs support Heathrow’s carbon reduction plan?
Environmental product declarations (EPDs) provide the verified product-level data required for reliable LCAs. They enable fair comparison of materials and ensure transparency across the supply chain.

What regulations make LCAs mandatory in construction?
Key regulations include the EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR), the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Together, these frameworks require whole-life carbon reporting, verified product data, and digital product passports for certain materials.

What should manufacturers do to prepare for projects like Heathrow’s?
Manufacturers should prioritise publishing verified EPDs across their product portfolios, invest in internal data readiness for digital product passports, and align with EN 15804+A2 standards. This ensures compliance, improves market access, and strengthens bid competitiveness.