What is Morgan Sindall’s RICS-verified CarboniCa platform?

Whole life carbon assessment has long been one of construction's most technically demanding challenges, requiring specialist resources that many firms simply don't have. 

Morgan Sindall Group's CarboniCa platform was built to change that. 

The cloud-based system identifies building elements likely to drive higher emissions and recommends lower-carbon alternatives for clients, designers and supply chains. 

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has now validated it against the second edition of its Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) for the Built Environment professional standard. 

Its validation is external confirmation of a methodology Morgan Sindall has spent close to a decade refining.

"We are pleased to announce that CarboniCa has been validated against the RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment Professional Standard (2nd edition). As demand for consistent and transparent carbon data grows, software validation helps build confidence in whole life carbon assessments and supports more consistent reporting across the sector.”" says Anil Sawhney, Head of Sustainability, Data and Technology at RICS.

A standard years in the making

The RICS WLCA standard is the recognised benchmark for credible whole life carbon assessment across the built environment.

"RICS validation matters because it puts CarboniCa’s methodology on the same footing as industry best practice. That gives the numbers coming out of the tool a credibility and robustness that clients, designers and supply chain partners can rely on," explains Tim Clement, Director of Social Value and Sustainability at Morgan Sindall. 

"It’s certainly a proud moment for our team – not least as this is the first tool validated for both buildings and infrastructure, and reflects our long term commitment to innovation. Inconsistent methods and unclear assumptions are genuine problems in whole life carbon assessment, and they make it very hard to compare options or trust the answer.

"Take those out and you have a sound basis for decisions, which is what turns carbon measurement into real reduction. That has been our aim from the start: CarboniCa is a reduction tool, not just a measurement one.”

Validation against it involves rigorous checks against both mandatory and optional requirements.

For CarboniCa, that milestone follows third-party verification by Anhesis Group in February 2025, adding a further layer of external scrutiny to a system Morgan Sindall began developing in 2017.

This was the same year the Group set science-based targets as the first UK contractor to do so.

Principles behind the platform

CarboniCa's development has been governed by four founding principles, designed to keep the tool useful for specialists while remaining accessible to project teams and supply chain partners working under tight budgets and stretched programmes.

That reduction-first approach underpins Morgan Sindall Construction's 10 Tonne Carbon Challenge.

Since 2021, it has encouraged project teams and supply chain partners to identify and evidence carbon savings of at least 10 tonnes per project, quantified through case studies underpinned by CarboniCa's assessments.

Building a platform for industry

CarboniCa's next chapter is already under way. In 2025, Morgan Sindall partnered with Once For All, a European leader in supply chain management for the built environment, to rebuild the tool from the ground up. 

The aim is to evolve CarboniCa from a bespoke in-house system into a platform suitable for the whole construction industry.

Due to launch in 2027, the Once For All rebuild is intended to democratise carbon reduction by automating data entry through AI and integrating with existing estimating and modelling tools.

This in turn, is meant to significantly expand the database of carbon conversion factors, and provide real-time material optioneering for end users. 

Throughout the rebuild, Morgan Sindall says the platform will stay true to CarboniCa's founding principles while drawing on insights from industry expert groups, positioning it as a WLCA platform built by industry, for industry.

Morgan Sindall's key partners:

RICS

A global professional body working in the public interest to advance knowledge, uphold standards and inspire current and future professionals in the built environment. It sets qualifications and independently regulates chartered professionals and firms, building trust and confidence with clients and consumers. With a heritage of over 150 years, RICS sets the standard for members and candidates operating in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure across more than 140 countries globally, and its WLCA Software Validation Programme helps ensure carbon assessment tools align with recognised industry standards.

Anthesis Group

A specialist global sustainability consultancy founded on the belief that commercial success and sustainability go hand in hand. Established in 2013, Anthesis has grown into one of the largest groups of sustainability experts worldwide through organic growth and strategic acquisitions, offering science-based advisory, data-driven digital solutions and technical verification services. It was Anthesis that provided third-party verification of CarboniCa's methodology, ahead of the platform's RICS validation.

Once For All

The European leader in supply chain management solutions and B2B marketplace for the built environment. Its cloud-based, AI-enabled platform helps construction, facilities management and energy firms source suppliers, manage risk and compliance, and streamline efficiency across complex supply chains. It is now working with Morgan Sindall to redevelop CarboniCa from the ground up, ahead of its planned industry-wide launch in 2027.