Operational carbon emissions refer to the carbon emissions produced through the energy use of a building during its operation; this includes energy for heating and cooling, lighting, ventilation, water conditioning, appliance use, etc.  The installation of solar panels is a popular example used in the passive house movement to reduce operational carbon emissions by replacing a portion of the energy needed to operate the building with solar energy. 

Embodied carbon refers to the carbon emissions produced from the entire life-cycle of a material - from its design and production, through deployment and finally disposal.  Examples of materials with high embodied carbon include concrete, plastic, and conventional insulation like fibreglass and especially foam.  

Significant attention has been focused on the reduction of operational carbon, as it currently represents 75% of carbon emissions within the industry.  As consumers transition to renewable energy sources and building operations systems become more efficient, operational carbon emissions are expected to decrease to 51% of total building carbon emissions by 2050.  However, embodied carbon emissions are expected to rise from 25% to 49% by mid-century, which necessitates urgent attention and action in their reduction. Replacing traditional building materials that are high in embodied carbon with low-carbon, bio-based materials is paramount to the reduction of embodied carbon emissions in the built environment. 

We are part of the solution

Elm Natural Builders uses bio-based and local materials that are low in embodied and operational carbon

 The report, Building Materials and the Climate: Constructing a New Future (UN Environmental Programme, 2023)  highlights 3 urgent pathways that must be adopted by the building and construction sector in order to decarbonise building materials and processes:

1. Avoid extraction and production of raw materials by galvanising a circular economy

2. Shift to a regenerative material practices wherever possible by using ethically produced low carbon earth and bio-based building materials

3.  Improve methods to radically decarbonise conventional materials

Elm Natural Builders is proud to be a part of the solution in decarbonising building practices in Manitoba.  We are actively implementing these pathways in our business through our commitment to manufacturing and installing hempcrete insulation as a local, ethical, low-carbon and bio-based material.  Hempcrete is part of a new generation of building materials that offers a new way forward in reducing embodied carbon emissions.   

Hempcrete is Carbon Sequestering 

Research suggests that hemp is twice as effective as trees at absorbing and locking up carbon with approximately one hectare of hemp estimated to annually sequester between 8 to 15 tonnes of CO₂ while one hectare of forest captures 2 to 6 tonnes of CO₂ per year.  Hemp plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow, incorporating it into the plant structure through photosynthesis. When the stalk of the hemp plant is used in hempcrete, this carbon remains stored within the material and locked within the walls of the structure.  Moreover, lime, combined with water to form a binder in hempcrete, undergoes a carbonation process, gradually absorbing CO2 from the air and converting it into calcium carbonate. This process further locks carbon within the material. 

Low-carbon process in manufacturing 

Elm Natural builder’s manufacturing and processing of hempcrete is a low-carbon process.  Hemp production does not require significant fertilizer inputs and can be grown on marginal land, reducing reliance on fossil fuel based fertilizers.  We source our hemp locally from Manitoba, reducing carbon emissions required by long-haul transportation.  Our hempcrete is installed by hand, not relying on heavy machinery, further reducing our carbon footprint.  

 Other environmental benefits of hempcrete insulation 

Quick growing, renewable resource

The hemp crop is one of the fastest growing and one of the oldest domesticated crops in the world.  It grows quickly- up to 4 metres in 100 days and can grow in almost any part of the world, yielding one to two crops a year.  

Biodegradability of hempcrete 

At the end of its life cycle, hempcrete returns to the Earth.  Hempcrete is fully biodegradable and can be tilled into the soil for disposal as opposed to contributing to landfill waste.  No chemicals are used in the production of hempcrete,  so no toxic waste is left behind.

Hemp detoxifies and replenishes soil

Industrial hemp crops also replenish the soil they grow in and kill weeds without the need of harmful chemicals.  Hemp is naturally resistant to insects and pests, reducing the need for pesticides. It can also be used to detoxify poisoned land thanks to its phytoremediation properties that allows it to remove copper, cadmium, nickel, lead and chromium from soil.

Elm Natural Builders offers a wide range of eco-friendly products

In addition to hempcrete, Elm has pioneered the use of natural plasters for interior and exterior wall finishing, clay based countertop and flooring options, and all natural paints in Manitoba.