9. Embodied Carbon Research and Practice: Different Ends and Means or a Third Way

Since differences between academia and industry are well-documented, different types of embodied carbon and life cycle assessment may be necessary to meet the different needs of researchers and practitioners. Without a better grasp of the different types, however, assessment results or conclusions may be misunderstood or misused, and researcher-practitioner collaborations may prove challenging. The concept of a ‘taxonomy of assessments’ promises to help assessors manage the production of different types of assessment to meet the different needs of researchers and practitioners but also to prompt consideration of a potential middle ground or Third Way. This chapter introduces a proposed taxonomy which seeks to capture the production of an assessment as a set of questions each with alternative answers. The questions and alternative answers it captures relate to both assessment ends (purpose) and means (process) to reflect and recognise the range of different assessments being produced by researchers and practitioners. Using the proposed taxonomy to establish and compare ranges for cases of assessment produced by researchers and the author as practitioner, it is possible to outline a precise agenda for future assessments and supporting studies. A particular focus is the potential of the middle ground or Third Way.