What is the Measurement Guidance, and how does it complement the Decarbonising Infrastructure Delivery Policy? 

The Measurement Guidance directs NSW Government infrastructure delivery agencies on how to estimate embodied carbon early in the project development stages and how to measure embodied carbon during project delivery. It provides alignment on inputs and outputs to deliver a consistent measurement approach across asset types. 

This ensures that all agencies can understand their embodied carbon impact early on in project development, and that all agencies are consistently reporting upfront carbon to support future benchmarking and target setting. 

Note the Decarbonising Infrastructure Delivery Policy mandates reporting and management of upfront carbon, while the Measurement Guidance provides information to allow consistent measurement of all embodied carbon for agencies who are ready to measure emissions from other lifecycle stages.  

How do the Decarbonising Infrastructure Delivery Policy and Measurement Guidance deal with trade-offs between upfront and operational emissions? 

While the Decarbonising Infrastructure Delivery Policy focuses on upfront carbon, it encourages agencies to consider whole life carbon where they have the capability to do so and to prioritise whole life carbon where there are trade-offs. To support agencies in this, the Decarbonising Infrastructure Delivery Policy and Measurement Guidance also highlight common trade-offs across lifecycle stages that agencies should consider in decision-making to help avoid negative outcomes.  

What does it mean for government and industry? 

Decarbonising the infrastructure sector requires understanding and managing emissions right across asset lifecycle stages, from the design decisions made in planning, to emissions embedded during construction, and left behind through waste.  This requires meaningful collaboration between Government and industry to support innovative low carbon design and construction methods on Government projects, as well as to collect accurate data on the carbon impacts of infrastructure projects.  

Will the Measurement Guidance be implemented nationally? 

INSW, supported by the Commonwealth Government and Transport for NSW, is adapting the NSW Measurement Guidance for national adoption.  The National Measurement Guidance is to be considered by the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers meeting in mid-2024.   

To facilitate this, INSW has led a national working group of transport and infrastructure representatives from various Australian jurisdictions to adapt the NSW Guidance.  

You can find out more about Transport for NSW (TfNSW) approach to Decarbonising Infrastructure Delivery.