Construction's Carbon Blind Spot: How Qualis Flow Is Fixing the Industry's Data Problem
Host: Tom Angus, Director of Conferences, Decarb Connect
Guest: Brittany Harris, Co-Founder & CEO, Qualis Flow (Qflow)
In partnership with Urban Future Labs
Construction accounts for roughly 40% of global carbon emissions when embodied carbon and materials are factored in, yet most project teams still can't tell you what they're actually emitting until long after the concrete has been poured. In this opening episode of our mini-series in collaboration with Urban Future Labs, we explore why real-time construction data is emerging as a critical lever for decarbonising the built environment, and how smarter measurement can change both the economics and the carbon profile of major projects.
Brittany Harris, a civil engineer turned founder, built Qualis Flow after seeing firsthand that the industry didn't have a data problem so much as a data capture problem. Qflow delivers the ground truth on construction sites, capturing real-time data on materials, waste, utilities, and carbon directly from site the moment it happens. No spreadsheets, no chasing suppliers, just fast, accurate data that helps teams ensure quality, reduce risk, minimise waste, and avoid costly rework or delays
What you'll take away:
- Why construction is responsible for ~40% of global emissions and why the industry still isn't truly reckoning with it
- How Qflow turns a site photo into reliable, audit-ready embodied carbon data and what that means for project teams working at scale
- Why the construction materials dataset Qflow is building may be as valuable as the software itself
- The international appetite for construction sustainability data, from the UK to the US, Canada, and beyond
- Why procurement and planning frameworks are struggling to keep pace with the tools that already exist
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What is Decarb Connect?
Examining the strategies and deployments around decarbonisation in hard to abate sectors, we speak with CEOs, heads of corporate strategy, CTOs, Innovation/R&D, project directors & heads of carbon management from around the world. Hosted by Alex Cameron of the Decarbonization Leaders Network and Decarb Connect & produced by Janno Media.