Leading the Way in Low-Carbon Sustainable Design

NABERS Embodied Carbon Accreditation

Compass-Intelle is proud to announce that Ramim Ahmed, Senior ESD Consultant, is among the first cohort accredited to deliver NABERS Embodied Carbon assessments and ratings. This milestone strengthens our NABERS capabilities and empowers our clients to tackle one of the most urgent sustainability challenges in the built environment: Embodied Carbon.

Why Embodied Carbon Matters

Buildings account for roughly 38% of global energy-related emissions, and in Australia contribute about one-third of total emissions.

For the last decade, Australia has made strong progress reducing operational emissions, using tools like NABERS Energy & Water, Green Star and NatHERS. But as the grid continues to decarbonise, embodied carbon is on track to become the dominant source of building-related emissions.

Embodied Carbon refers to the greenhouse gas emissions across the entire lifecycle of a building—from raw material extraction and manufacturing to construction, refurbishment, and end-of-life. Most critical is upfront embodied carbon, which includes all emissions generated before the building is occupied and can account for up to 80% of a building’s lifetime embodied emissions.

These emissions are measurable, verifiable, and are occurring at scale right now making them a priority for climate action.

To reach net-zero, three actions by the building sector are essential:

·        Reduce energy use,

·        Eliminate fossil fuels, and

·        Decrease embodied carbon.

Compass-Intelle’s objective is to help clients address this challenge through accredited NABERS Embodied Carbon assessments, enabling smarter design decisions and measurable sustainability outcomes.

What Is the NABERS Embodied Carbon Tool?

NABERS has developed a nationally consistent framework to measure, verify and compare a building’s upfront embodied carbon emissions. Created in close collaboration with industry and the Green Building Council of Australia(GBCA), the tool is designed to be comprehensive, consistent, and aligned with major sustainability frameworks.

It is expected to integrate into:

·        Green Star Buildings v1.1 (Upfront Carbon credit)

·        Climate Active Carbon Neutral Building Standard

·        NSW State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP)

·        Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policy

·        NCC 2025 (voluntary pathway)

·        Government-owned building sustainability requirements

Key features include:

·        Coverage of all major sources of emissions: superstructure, substructure, envelope, and services

·        Promotion of product-specific emissions data (EPDs) and reused materials

·        Exclusion of demolition

·        Focus on upfront embodied carbon

What This Means for Our Clients

With this accreditation, Compass-Intelle is equipped to deliver formal NABERS Embodied Carbon assessments and ratings for new builds and major refurbishments. Our consulting team can help clients reduce upfront emissions, develop low-carbon design strategies, and gain recognition through certification pathways.

Our services include:

·        Identifying low-carbon materials and construction methods during design

·        Evaluating cost-effective solutions to reduce lifecycle impacts

·        Helping projects qualify for Green Star credits, Climate Active certifications, and other sustainability goals

A NABERS certified embodied carbon rating not only validates a project’s sustainability performance, but it also allows clients to:

·        Compare performance against similar buildings

·        Promote their building as an industry leader in embodied carbon

·        Meet evolving ESG targets and sustainability reporting needs

·        Prepare for future policy and compliance requirements

NABERS Services at Compass-Intelle

Compass-Intelle delivers high-impact, performance-driven solutions across the full NABERS lifecycle—from concept design to building operation. Our in-house NABERS-accredited team supports:

·        NABERS Energy & Water assessments

·        NABERS Commitment Agreements and design-phase modelling

·        NABERS Waste and Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) consulting

·        NABERS Embodied Carbon assessments

We help clients achieve measurable emissions reductions, strengthen ESG outcomes, and secure market-leading sustainability credentials.

Ready to Act on Embodied Carbon?

We’re excited to be among the first assessors accredited to deliver NABERS Embodied Carbon ratings and even more proud to bring this capability to our clients.

If you're designing a new building, planning a major upgrade, or simply want to understand your project's embodied carbon impact, get in touch with Ramim Ahmed and the Compass-Intelle team today.