THE CHALLENGE:
As the building services industry works towards increasingly ambitious carbon reduction targets, access to reliable environmental product data is becoming essential.
Without accurate information on embodied carbon, it can be difficult for designers, contractors and clients to fully understand the environmental impact of products and identify opportunities to reduce carbon throughout a project’s lifecycle.
WHAT WE DID:
MCS launched an initiative to improve the collection and management of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and CIBSE TM65 assessments across our supply chain. Working collaboratively with manufacturers and suppliers, we gathered verified environmental data for mechanical, electrical and public health products used across our projects.
By engaging suppliers directly and creating a centralised database of sustainability information, we are building a stronger evidence base to support future project delivery and carbon reporting.
THE DIFFERENCE WE MADE:
This work is helping to improve environmental transparency across our projects and supply chain. By increasing access to verified environmental data, MCS can support more informed design and procurement decisions, strengthen whole-life carbon reporting and identify opportunities to reduce embodied carbon before products are installed.
The impact extends beyond individual projects. Through ongoing collaboration with manufacturers and suppliers, we are encouraging greater awareness of embodied carbon and helping increase the availability of environmental performance data within the building services sector. By promoting transparency and shared learning, we are supporting the industry’s transition towards more sustainable procurement practices and lower-carbon outcomes.
This initiative also strengthens our ability to support clients in achieving their sustainability ambitions, while building a robust environmental knowledge base that will continue to deliver value as industry expectations and reporting requirements evolve.
DEVELOPING FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY SKILLS
The initiative has also provided valuable professional development opportunities for Building Services Apprentice Juber Abedin. Working directly with suppliers and manufacturers to source EPDs and TM65 assessments, Juber has gained practical experience in embodied carbon, sustainability reporting and responsible procurement.
By contributing to the development of MCS’s environmental database, Juber is helping to create a resource that will support future project delivery while developing the specialist skills needed to support the construction industry’s transition to a lower-carbon future. Through hands-on involvement in a real business challenge, he is building knowledge and experience that will help shape the next generation of sustainability professionals.
Juber Abedin, Building Services Apprentice