Assessing the Uptake of Embodied Carbon Management Strategies in the Nigerian Construction Industry

This study assesses the uptake of embodied carbon management strategies among construction professionals in Nigeria by examining awareness, adoption, barriers and perceived cost-related barriers. A quantitative survey was distributed to 228 professionals in Lagos Metropolis, yielding 201 valid responses (88.2%). Means, standard deviations and Kruskal-Wallis H tests addressed awareness and adoption; barrier items were ranked and examined using principal components analysis with Varimax rotation; and three explicit cost-related barrier items were analysed using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. Pearson and Spearman correlations tested the null hypotheses that adoption was not associated with awareness (H01), perceived cost- related barriers (H02) or the overall barrier score (H03). Awareness generally exceeded adoption, while formal carbon-management practices such as life-cycle assessment, Environmental Product Declarations and carbon documentation remained weak. The barrier matrix was factorable (KMO=0.873; Bartlett's chi-square=2784.428, df=378, p<0.001), and six components explained 61.694% of variance. Training, incentives, policy support and contractor capability were the highest-rated barriers. Cost concern was also prevalent: 61.7% selected significant or very significant for additional design effort or cost, 61.7% for uncertainty about long-term return, and 65.7% for the high cost of low-carbon materials and technologies. Awareness was positively associated with adoption (Pearson r=0.559; Spearman rho=0.553; p<0.001), whereas perceived cost-related barriers and the overall barrier score were not significantly associated with adoption. The findings support applied professional training, proportionate policy and procurement guidance, local carbon data and project-level cost-carbon evidence. Enhancing construction business risk mitigation through technology-driven sustainable CSR practices: targeting external stakeholders Frank Amoah1,3, Ernest Kissi1,2, Michel Adesi1, De-Graft Qwusu-Manu1, Sam Aloysius3,