34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) - Singapore, Singapore - 2026

https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0274

Relating Non-Physical Waste in Lean Construction to Carbon Emissions during Project Execution

Abdhy Gazali1, Muhammad Sapto Nugroho2, Wildan Nachdy3 & Annisa Nurrahmawati4

1Lecturer, Building Engineering Education, State University of Jakarta (UNJ), Indonesia, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0004-1391-6533
2Lecturer, Civil Engineering Department, Universitas Trisakti, Indonesia, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0002-4563-6099
3Manager Environment & Health, QHSE Division, PT PP (Persero) tbk., Indonesia, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0002-4563-6099
4Student, Building Engineering Education, State University of Jakarta (UNJ), Indonesia, [email protected]

Abstract

Lean Construction has been widely applied to improve efficiency and reduce waste in construction projects; however, its relationship with carbon emissions remains predominantly examined from material-based perspectives. This study explores how non-physical waste in Lean Construction such as waiting, downtime, and making-do relates to carbon emissions during project execution. This study employs a structured literature review to synthesize research on Lean–Green construction, focusing on relationships between process-based waste, waste-related outcomes, and carbon-generating activities. The findings indicate that non-physical waste contributes to carbon-relevant impacts through time-based and process-related inefficiencies, including extended activity durations, idle equipment operation, and repeated processes. Rather than causing direct material loss, these waste mechanisms indirectly increase the intensity and duration of carbon-generating activities. As a key contribution, this study proposes a structured analytical framework, including a generalized proxy formulation, to relate non-physical waste to carbon emissions based on additional operational time and activity-level carbon intensity. The framework complements existing material-based carbon assessments and provides a basis for future empirical validation.

Keywords

Lean Construction, Waste, Carbon footprint, Green Construction

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Gazali, A., Nugroho, M. S., Nachdy, W. & Nurrahmawati, A.. (2026). Relating Non-Physical Waste in Lean Construction to Carbon Emissions during Project Execution. In Hamzeh, F., Poshdar, M., & Garcia-Lopez,, N. P. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) (pp. 547–557). https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0274

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Gazali, A., Nugroho, M. S., Nachdy, W. & Nurrahmawati, A.. (2026). Relating Non-Physical Waste in Lean Construction to Carbon Emissions during Project Execution. IGLC34. https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0274

 

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