Carbon footprint assessment of a precast concrete yard: A case study from Thailand

Despite the significant contribution of precast concrete yards to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Thai construction industry, research on their carbon footprint is limited. This study assessed the carbon footprint of a precast concrete yard in Thailand, from 1 January to 31 December, 2022, during which 2,054.60 m3 of precast concrete products were produced. The total carbon footprint for 2022 was 915.489 tCO2e, with emissions categorized into Scope 1 (0.74%), Scope 2 (1.18%), and Scope 3 (98.08%). Notably, ready-mix concrete consumption emerged as the primary hotspot, contributing 70.59% of total emissions. The GHG emissions-to-production volume ratio for 2022 was 0.445580 tCO2e per m3, with a potential 0.44% reduction achievable by maximizing production volume. The study presented a GHG emission ratio of purchased goods (raw materials) to the production process for precast concrete (1:0.0136), facilitating estimates of emissions based on raw material data. Three key challenges in assessing carbon footprints in Thailand’s construction sector were identified: (1) limited carbon footprint data for construction materials, (2) inadequate data for general products, and (3) gaps in GHG emission factors for truck transportation in the Thai National Life Cycle Inventory Database. The identified GHG emission hotspots serve as critical starting points for strategies to manage and mitigate emissions in the case study yard and similar facilities, including optimizing ready-mix concrete usage and prioritizing environmentally responsible manufacturers. These insights, along with the identified challenges, offer valuable guidance for future assessments of organizational carbon footprints in the construction sector and the embodied carbon of buildings.