The National Carbon Offset Standards for Buildings and Precincts, released recently by the Australian Government provides clear guidance to Australian asset owners about achieving carbon neutral certification in their developments.

The correct selection of materials based on their manufacturing processes, transportation and installation, is an important step for developers in the drive towards carbon neutrality. The development’s carbon footprint can be reduced by analysing these factors prior to material selection.

One way for developers to achieve carbon neutral or other environmentally conscious certifications is by choosing materials from a carbon offset company such as Modular Walls, helping them dramatically minimise the carbon footprint of the development and bringing them closer to their targets.

Modular Walls conducted a comparative case study of the carbon footprint created by the installation of a noise wall running a distance of 1000 lineal metres, analysing the performance of EnduroMax panels against traditional precast concrete panels.

The innovative EnduroMax panel provided a massive 80% carbon reduction project-wide, dramatically reducing CO2 emissions across manufacture, transportation and installation of the panels. The embodied CO2 of EnduroMax noise wall panels is just a third that of precast concrete noise wall panels of the same dimensions, saving roughly 135.35 tonnes of embodied CO2. EnduroMax’s performance is directly attributed to Modular Walls’ innovative manufacturing processes, which are constantly improved and enhanced for efficiency and sustainability.

Weighing only 90.73kg compared to 271.2kg (for a 4 x 1.2 x 0.125m product), EnduroMax also reduces carbon emissions during transportation, incurring only 9.58 tonnes of CO2 emissions over 1000km, compared to 74.52 tonnes for traditional concrete.

Quicker and more convenient construction enabled by EnduroMax’s modular design also achieved major greenhouse gas reductions in the noise wall project with a CO2 load of 6.3 tonnes as compared to 16.53 tonnes for precast concrete panels.

With the assurance of carbon positivity at every stage of the supply chain from manufacture and transport to installation, Modular Walls products offer a smart material choice for any carbon-conscious development.