Text "MGL GROUP" in bold black letters next to a black triangle logo with two curved lines, on a white background.

How SmartCarbon Supports Sustainability Professionals in Construction

Sustainability professionals in the construction industry are driving innovation, unlocking new revenue streams, and identifying opportunities for carbon reduction, both in construction activities and in the embodied carbon of materials. SmartCarbon supports this work with a carbon reporting platform aligned to the latest regulations and access to expert guidance across GHG measurement, management, and reporting.

Get in touch

We offer services in:

  • Emissions tracking tailored to the construction industry
  • Access to over 20,000 emissions factors for construction materials 
  • Measurement of organisational & project GHG emissions
  • Dashboard access for streamlined data management
  • Downloadable templates, e.g. SECR-compliant baselining report template
  • Supply Chain reporting module with free reporting tool for suppliers & subcontractors
  • Two-day accredited CPD course in climate science and carbon accounting through Northumbria University
  • Workshops on carbon measurement, reporting, and reduction strategies
  • Webinars for construction Sustainability Managers, leadership, and supply chain partners
  • Guidance on data collection, analysis, and GHG Protocol alignment
  • Carbon reduction planning, target setting, and tracking
  • Bespoke consultancy to support specific needs, for example, Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs)

Mixing It Better with SmartCarbon

MGL Group proves its asphalt is lower carbon than the national average

MGL Group partnered with SmartCarbon to measure the carbon footprint of all 15 types of its asphalt mixes, preparing for upcoming regulations and identifying opportunities to make its products more sustainable.

Our task? To deliver a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) report, providing MGL Group’s sustainability team and decision-makers with a clear picture of emissions hotspots. With this insight, they could prioritise reduction efforts and take a significant step towards achieving an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which will also support stakeholders in their own carbon accounting journeys.

Laptop screen displaying carbon reporting dashboards, featuring a pie chart of emissions categories and a bar chart breakdown by scope from April 2020 to March 2021.

What we did

We used high-quality, company and supplier-specific data to produce an ISO 14040:2006-compliant asphalt LCA. While many organisations face challenges in sourcing quality data for these assessments, MGL Group has collected reliable data through its comprehensive use of the SmartCarbon calculator since 2019. 

Results:

A white bar chart with four ascending bars and a large upward-pointing arrow above the tallest bar, representing growth or increase.

36.93% IMPROVEMENT

Its mixes emit, on average, 20.17 less kg/CO2e per tonne than the UK average (The Inventory of Carbon and Energy (ICE) database). This equates to an average 36.93% Improvement (CO2/T) of product stage materials (A1: Raw Material Supply, A2: Transport, A3: Manufacturing).

White silhouette of an open pair of scissors on a black background.

COST SAVINGS

We discovered that MGL was using more of a carbon-negative aggregate, ACLA, than necessary to deliver innovative net-zero road projects. ACLA is a fantastic product, but it’s also the most expensive material in the mix. Optimising its usage allows MGL to reduce the cost per tonne without affecting its CO2e per tonne.