The Decarbonising Infrastructure Delivery policy, developed by Infrastructure NSW, sets a mandate to address embodied emissions on public infrastructure projects and embed best practice carbon management in NSW Government decision-making, design and delivery. The policy sets out guidance for government delivery agencies to manage upfront carbon when delivering public infrastructure projects. Accompanying the policy is an embodied emissions measurement guidance that provides a common methodology, assumptions, data use approach and reporting requirements for the measurement of embodied emissions.
The Judging Panel commended Infrastructure NSW on its pioneering approach to setting a government-wide policy that provides clear agency guidance on how to measure and reduce embodied carbon throughout all stages of an infrastructure project. The Panel recognised the significant impact this policy will have on Australia’s broader decarbonisation landscape, with national Infrastructure and Transport Ministers in June 2023 approving the national adoption of this measurement approach, once implemented.