From 1 October, Circular Ecology, the publisher of the ICE database, are releasing Version 5 of the ICE database Educational, which is only for Educational-Use. All licenses for non-educational use of the ICE Database will expire on 30th September. Circular Ecology have released a new database suitable for commercial and professional use cases, this is called the IC+ Database.
What does this mean for users of IStructE resources?
The Institution’s How to Calculate Embodied Carbon guide and Structural Carbon Tool include recommended carbon factors for key structural materials. These values provide a starting point for early-stage embodied carbon assessments and are based on a range of recognised industry sources, including previous versions of the ICE database. These key structural materials where we have used ICE data in our guide and tool are: Concrete (In-Situ, Mortar/Screed, Precast concrete, Precast concrete blocks), Brick (Single engineering brick, Brick Wall), Stone (Limestone, Sandstone, Granular Fill), Timber (Global figures for Softwood, CLT, Glulam LVL and Sheet), Aluminium (Sheet, Extruded profiles), Glass (General, Toughened), Plasterboard (Partitioning, ceilings) and Asphalt. As highlighted in the guide, users are responsible for verifying the suitability and accuracy of any carbon data used in calculations. Factors which will impact your decisions include whether you are externally publishing your data and the purpose of the carbon calculations. Alternative sources, including Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and other carbon datasets, may also be appropriate depending on the project stage and purpose of the assessment. The Institution continues to recommend the use of generic industry-average data during early design stages, before specific products and materials have been selected.
Review your approach
Practices should review how embodied carbon data will be sourced and applied from 1 October onwards, particularly where carbon assessments are being externally reported or used to support project decision-making.
IStructE response
We are reviewing the impact that the commercialisation of the new IC+ database will have on the Institutions next update of the suggested embodied carbon factors (ECFA13,i) for common construction materials.
Further updates will be shared with members as this work progresses.