The Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) will better support the building and construction sector’s carbon reduction goals with industry-specific decarbonisation initiatives launched at the International Green Building Conference 2023.

These include an enhanced embodied carbon calculator for the industry, enhancements to SGBC’s certification schemes for green building products and green building services, as well as building capabilities in carbon measurement for the concrete manufacturing sector. The initiatives were announced during the commencement of the SGBC-organised International Green Building Conference 2023 (IGBC 2023) held at the Raffles City Convention Centre, graced by Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance.

The Singapore Building Carbon Calculator (SBCC) is a web-based embodied carbon calculator designed for Singapore’s built environment. It is developed by JTC Corporation in collaboration with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC). The web-based application builds on the previous Building Embodied Carbon Calculator (BECC), which was available since last May as an Excel spreadsheet. The spreadsheet was developed by the NUS Energy Studies Institute under a project commissioned by JTC in collaboration with BCA and SGBC. 

With the advancement of built environment sustainability over the years, many Singapore green building services firms have developed deep and specialised capabilities, and have a strong track record in delivering excellent Green Mark projects. To better reflect the deepening and maturing of firms’ capabilities, SGBC has revised the certification criteria and categorisation of both the Environmental Sustainability (ES) and Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) categories for the Singapore Green Building Services (SGBS) certification scheme.

ES Consultants will now receive tiered certification ratings to better profile their capabilities and expertise, especially if the ES consultants have proficiency in specific areas such as energy modelling or decarbonisation strategies. This will make it easier for building and facility owners to identify the best consultant with the appropriate expertise for their project needs.

In the drive towards low-carbon construction, key construction materials such as concrete and steel will be assessed based on their carbon footprint and Global Warming Potential (GWP). SGBC’s certification of these materials will require manufacturers to provide an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which is a standardised quantification of environmental information on the life cycle of a product, for each of their product.

To ensure that Singapore manufacturers have the ability to develop internal capabilities to report on the carbon emissions of their products in accordance to international standards, SGBC is collaborating with One Click LCA, a global building lifecycle assessment platform, to pilot a new Concrete EPD Generator in the Singapore market. This digital tool will provide another avenue for local concrete manufacturers to obtain consistent carbon data, identify decarbonisation opportunities and generate accurate, verifiable EPDs.

“All of us must recognise the urgent need to address climate change and reduce carbon emissions in the built environment, said Mr. Lee Ang Seng, President of the SGBC. “Through our suite of initiatives and industry collaborations, we stand ready to empower businesses and drive the transition towards a low-carbon future. Together with our Members, we will spearhead innovative solutions, promote sustainable practices, and pave the way for a greener, more resilient Singapore.”

First launched in 2009 along with the founding of SGBC, the IGBC platform showcases Singapore’s efforts and achievements in developing a sustainable city in the tropics and highlights the latest trends, developments and technology in achieving sustainability in the built environment. The two-day IGBC 2023 attracted participation from more than 600 in-person delegates and the strong support of nearly 40 Conference Partners. IGBC 2023 is organised as a carbon-neutral event, where efforts are first focused on reducing the event’s carbon footprint, before offsetting the remaining carbon emissions generated from electricity use, food & beverage provision, as well as travel and transportation of attendees.