Costain Launches Carbon Design Tool to Tackle Emissions Early in Infrastructure Projects

Costain has developed a new digital solution designed to reduce carbon emissions at the earliest stage of infrastructure planning.

The new Carbon Design Tool helps identify high-emission materials and processes during the design phase, allowing teams to make informed, lower-carbon choices before construction begins.

The tool works by forecasting potential carbon "hotspots" within a proposed design and benchmarking them against the latest RICS guidance. This enables design teams to explore alternative construction methods, material substitutions, or re-use options that can significantly reduce the environmental footprint of a project.

Accessible via an interactive online dashboard, the tool has been designed to be user-friendly so that entire project teams, not just sustainability specialists, can incorporate its insights into planning and decision-making.

Already, the Carbon Design Tool has been applied to Costain projects in aviation, energy, and water, and is now being rolled out across all sectors. One notable success was at Heathrow Airport, where the tool flagged steel as a major contributor to embodied carbon in the design of a new baggage handling system. As a result, the team revised the design to achieve a 26% reduction in embodied carbon compared to traditional methods.

The tool complements Costain’s Environmental Construction Data Tracker, which monitors carbon output during the build phase. Together, these tools provide a full lifecycle carbon management system, from concept to construction, enabling clients and supply chains to continuously improve environmental performance.

Nanette Heystek, Principal Sustainability Engineer at Costain, commented:

“Our goal is to support a decarbonised UK, and that starts with giving project teams the ability to understand carbon impacts from day one. By combining early forecasting with data-driven construction monitoring, we’re helping clients deliver infrastructure that’s both efficient and sustainable.”

The launch of the Carbon Design Tool aligns with Costain’s PAS 2080 certification, the industry standard for carbon management, and reinforces the company’s commitment to fostering collaborative, low-carbon approaches across the infrastructure sector.