ARCADIS
“ Climate is really a product of the natural environment and decarbonisation,” Mark explains.“ So it didn’ t need to be a separate theme.”
Building a standard, then scaling it globally The ARC framework now underpins a growing body of work that quantifies whole-life carbon and other impacts for clients. On carbon, Mark says Arcadis is already working from a mature base. The business has an established methodology that can be applied consistently across projects, supported by a suite of digital tools tailored to different markets.
“ We’ ve already assessed more than 50 billion in asset value for whole-life carbon across the business,” Mark reveals.“ We have a target to reach 100 billion by the end of 2026.”
Whole-life carbon assessment looks at emissions from construction through to operation and end-of-life of an asset, giving clients a holistic view of their footprint. This aggregation is powerful.
“ On carbon, you can add up the impact of a hundred projects and show exactly what it looks like,” Mark says.
By contrast, nature, water, circularity and social impact remain less mature fields, and the ARC framework acknowledges that reality. Nature impacts are highly site-specific, often calling for tools such as natural capital valuation, which attach economic value to environmental assets and the benefits they provide.
“ We do look at natural capital valuation so we can put a value on restoring natural systems,” Mark explains, noting that even this approach is still evolving. Across all five impact areas, Mark has prioritised progress over perfection.
“ We recognise the maturity of each area varies,” Mark continues.“ We still want to look at all five in detail, but we have to work through them in order of priority.”
60 March 2026