Post Event Blog: ‘In the Scale of Carbon’ exhibition

Circular Ecology supported Materials Council (www.materialscouncil.com) on their fascinating ‘In the Scale of Carbon’ exhibition, which was in London from Sept 19-22, see www.inthescaleofcarbon.com.

The purpose of the ‘In the Scale of Carbon’ exhibition was to put into perspective what 1 tonne of CO2e really means. The guys at Materials Council used their strong connections with manufacturers to have cubes produced. Each cube had an embodied carbon of 1 tonne CO2e.

The materials at the exhibition included stainless steel (the smallest cube), virgin aluminium, recycled aluminium, rubber, vinyl, lino, virgin steel, recycled steel, granite, virgin glass, recycled glass, concrete, plywood, softwood, hardwood and unfired clay (the largest cube). The difference in size between the cubes was fascinating.

The event was well received and well attended. There was often an initial surprise that a larger cube implies a better embodied carbon. Although of course volume doesn’t tell us about lifetime, density and how much material is really needed for a set function. That said, we think it’s a great concept to help put into perspective what 1 tonne CO2e really means.

View the slideshow (right) for pictures of the exhibition, or visit www.inthescaleofcarbon.com for more information and to download a flyer.