ERA developing CO2 calculator

In 2018, the ERA commissioned a research project called the “Carbon Footprint of Construction Equipment”.

The outcomes of this project were presented during the last ERA Convention, in Madrid, by the two research companies, Climate Neutral Group and CE Delft. They showed how carbon footprinting could provide insights to reduce the environmental impact of construction equipment. For instance, it was highlighted that the efficient use of construction equipment (with high utilisation rates, optimised transportation, etc.) can result in a substantially lower carbon footprint of equipment over its entire lifecycle compared to other – less efficient – use cases.

These notions were based on calculations made by the first version of a carbon footprint screening tool, which contained life cycle information for ten pieces of construction equipment.

Based on the carbon footprint screening tool and the first analyses, the ERA has asked CE Delft and Alias, the ERA’s digital solutions provider, to develop an improved and more accessible version. The goal of this project is to develop a web-based, easy-to-use CO₂ calculator for construction equipment. Intended users are rental companies, OEMs and contractors.

The calculator will provide insight into the life-cycle environmental impact of equipment, enabling the users to identify environmental ‘hot spots’ and investigate how changes in their use would affect their carbon footprint. Thus, a larger part of the construction sector can become involved in straightforward environmental analyses.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact the ERA team at era@erarental.org.