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Welcome to the inaugural episode of Sustainable Infrastructure, an interview series from ORIS Materials Intelligence. In this podcast, we bring together civil engineers, ESG leaders, policymakers, and construction executives to share real-world strategies for building sustainable infrastructure fit for the environmental and social challenges of the 21st century.
Our first guest is Costanzo Graffi, Europe Contractors Partnership Lead at AECOM, one of the world's largest engineering firms. With over 20 years of experience across landmark European and Middle Eastern projects, Costanzo offers a unique perspective on how the infrastructure industry is fundamentally transforming its approach to sustainability.
The Contractor Partnership Revolution
Costanzo's current role focuses on something many in the industry have long overlooked: structured partnerships between engineering consultants and contractors. As he explains, "Contractors are the ones actually building. At AECOM, it's our duty to find opportunities for contractors to deliver efficiently and partner with them to develop solutions that are constructible."
This collaboration isn't just about project delivery—it's about achieving AECOM's ambitious commitment to reduce carbon impact by at least 50% on all major projects. The question is: how do you achieve this when contractors have historically been focused primarily on lowest cost?
From Price Competition to Sustainability Leadership
One of the episode's most striking revelations is how contractor attitudes toward sustainability are genuinely shifting. According to Costanzo, this transformation is driven by multiple forces:
Regulatory Pressure: Frameworks like CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), EPD (Environmental Product Declarations), and carbon pricing are creating compliance requirements that contractors can't ignore.
Client Demands: More clients are explicitly requesting carbon data and sustainability credentials in procurement processes. Contractors without these capabilities are losing competitive opportunities.
Economic Reality: As Costanzo emphasises, "Sustainability is also cheaper." When materials are optimized, waste is reduced, and lifecycle costs are properly analyzed, sustainable approaches often deliver better financial outcomes.
Data and Measurement: With platforms like ORIS Materials Intelligence, contractors now have tools to measure, compare, and optimize their carbon footprint systematically—transforming sustainability from aspiration to operational reality.
AECOM's ScopeX: Systematising Decarbonization
A major focus of the conversation is AECOM's ScopeX framework. While most are familiar with Scope 1 (direct emissions) and Scope 2 (indirect emissions from energy), ScopeX represents "whatever comes next"—the embodied carbon in materials, construction processes, and lifecycle impacts.
Costanzo explains that ScopeX isn't just a measurement framework; it's a cultural transformation within AECOM. "We started talking about Scope 1, Scope 2... ScopeX is whatever comes next and what we do in projects. But we need clients who are open to discussing and revising the status quo and challenging themselves."
The key to ScopeX's effectiveness lies in three principles:
- Early Integration: "If you decide early on what to do, you clearly can get an exponential benefit from your choice, because you don't come late saying 'Ah, I could have done this.'"
- Data-Driven Decisions: Every design choice is backed by materials intelligence, lifecycle assessment, and carbon impact data.
- Collaborative Workflows: Digital platforms enable designers, contractors, and suppliers to access the same materials intelligence simultaneously, ensuring sustainability isn't lost in translation from design to construction.
The Materials Intelligence Gap
Materials represent approximately 80% of embodied carbon in infrastructure projects. Yet Costanzo identifies a critical gap: "We have so much data, we don't know what to do with it."
The conversation explores how historical data from decades of existing infrastructure is dramatically underutilised. Motorways built 50-60 years ago that are still performing well contain valuable lessons about material durability, design assumptions, and lifecycle performance—yet this knowledge rarely feeds back systematically into new projects.
Similarly, the episode highlights emerging technologies for recycling construction waste that can separate and reuse its chemical components. As Costanzo notes enthusiastically, "You can realise that you have a treasure which is hidden. You are not using it. Now we have technology to use that treasure."
Digital Integration: Beyond the Hype
In 2020, Costanzo authored an AECOM blog post titled "Digital integration: the next step for Europe's transport network." Five years later, the question remains: is digitisation happening fast enough?
Costanzo's answer is nuanced. Progress is happening, but the complexity of multi-party infrastructure projects, involving consultants, contractors, suppliers, and operators across borders, requires powerful collaborative platforms, not just isolated digital tools.
He advocates for common design languages, shared data standards, and interoperable platforms that prevent sustainability insights from being siloed in proprietary systems. The goal: ensure that carbon optimisation designed by engineers is actually implemented by contractors on-site.
Policy, Procurement, and the Path Forward
The conversation also addresses the critical role of public procurement in accelerating decarbonization. Costanzo emphasises that policymakers have a responsibility to create procurement frameworks that reward sustainability innovation rather than just the lowest price.
He points to the Nordics as leading the way, with procurement processes that increasingly incorporate lifecycle carbon as a selection criterion alongside cost. This creates market incentives for contractors to invest in low-carbon capabilities and for suppliers to develop more sustainable materials.
Three Actionable Takeaways
For anyone looking to transform their organisation's approach to sustainable infrastructure, Costanzo offers three key recommendations:
- Learn from Other Industries: "Look at what other industries are doing to reduce costs, minimise plastic use, and become competitive. We can learn from what others did already."
- Leverage Existing Data: "Getting information from existing infrastructures, understanding how things really happen, and feeding this back into design and planning, that could be the big next step to become even more efficient."
- Decide Early: "The exponential benefit comes from early decisions. Don't come late to carbon optimisation: integrate it from the project's first day."
Why This Matters
Perhaps the most powerful moment in the episode comes when Costanzo articulates his personal mission: "For me, elevating the image of construction, becoming more sustainable, is really partnering with communities in their journey, developing their dreams or targets, becoming more inclusive."
This isn't just about carbon reduction targets or regulatory compliance. It's about rehabilitating the construction industry in the public eye, transforming it from a sector associated with disruption and pollution into one recognised as a partner in delivering sustainable growth for communities worldwide.
As the infrastructure industry faces unprecedented pressure to decarbonise while meeting massive global investment needs, conversations like this one provide both inspiration and practical pathways forward.
Resources & Links Mentioned
AECOM Resources
- AECOM ScopeX Framework
- Costanzo's 2020 Blog: "Digital integration: the next step for Europe's transport network"
Projects Referenced
- Lyon-Turin High Speed Railway
- Copenhagen Metro
- Etihad Railways (UAE)
- West Link (Sweden)
Organizations & Frameworks Mentioned
- CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive)
- EPD (Environmental Product Declarations)
- CPR (Construction Products Regulation)
- FIEC (European Construction Industry Federation)
- PAS 2080 (Carbon Management in Infrastructure)
Tools & Technologies
- ORIS Materials Intelligence Platform
- BIM (Building Information Modeling) integration
- Digital twins for infrastructure
- Material recycling separation technologies
