The Overlooked Carbon Cost of Underground Infrastructure

When people hear terms like infrastructure, sustainability, carbon footprint, or environmental impact, it's easy to assume those conversations belong somewhere else. At the federal level, in major cities, or halfway around the world.

The reality is that many of the biggest opportunities to reduce emissions are right beneath our feet.

We're not talking about plastic straws.

We're talking about manholes.

Every year, thousands of precast concrete manholes are manufactured, transported, and installed across North America. While concrete has been the industry standard for decades, it is also one of the largest contributors to embodied carbon in construction. A typical precast concrete manhole can carry an embodied carbon footprint of roughly 1 metric ton of CO₂e, with larger structures often exceeding 2 metric tons before they are ever placed in the ground. That footprint comes primarily from cement production, along with steel reinforcement, manufacturing, and transportation.

Individually, one manhole may not seem significant. But when municipalities and contractors install hundreds or even thousands of them over the life of an infrastructure program, those emissions add up quickly.

When we first introduced the Poo Pit in the United States, we commissioned a carbon footprint study because we wanted to understand the environmental impact of our product, not just assume it was better.

What we found reinforced something we've believed from the beginning. Innovation in underground infrastructure is not just about making installation easier or improving jobsite safety. It is also about rethinking the materials and methods we've relied on for generations.

Reducing the environmental impact of infrastructure does not require sacrificing performance. In many cases, it means asking a simple question.

Is there a better way to build what we've always built?

As municipalities, engineers, and contractors continue looking for solutions that balance durability, cost, efficiency, and sustainability, embodied carbon is becoming an increasingly important part of the conversation. Every material choice matters, and even small improvements multiplied across an entire utility network can create a meaningful long-term impact.

The future of infrastructure is not just about what we build.

It's about how we build it.