Developing a low-carbon, circular economy for steel

Penny Gowler and Will Arnold preview a new embodied carbon tool that has been developed by Elliott Wood and the Institution of Structural Engineers.

In the form of embodied carbon, steel is a significant contributor to the climate crisis. This guidance sets out how structural engineers can use their steel specifications to help move the industry towards net zero.

Appendix A of Eurocode 2 permits a reduction in material partial factors for reinforcing steel and concrete. Designing elements with the reduced material partial factors reduces the amount of reinforcement steel required, hence a reduction in embodied carbon and energy, without any loss of performance.