Construction Stored Carbon

Transforming the built environment into a nature-based carbon sink

From Problem

Buildings are humanity’s largest creations. They last for decades, if not centuries. And their impact does not go unnoticed: the building and construction sector is responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions. We use 230 billion square metres of building space and another 65 billion could be added this decade. The materials we choose to build with will have an everlasting effect on generations to come.

By Hoda Bogdan

To Solution

By using biobased materials, we can create a healthy, safe and nature-inclusive built environment that stores carbon reliably. The use of materials such as wood, bamboo, hemp, flax, typha, miscanthus, silphium, sorghum and mycelium in construction creates new nature-based value chains. If we ensure we accelerate this use regeneratively – prioritising ecosystem health and sustainable land management over maximum yield – biobased construction has the potential to store 1 gigaton of CO2 this century.

By Ema Peter

Our Interventions

We need to stop using polluting construction materials, and start using bio-based materials. To accelerate this transition towards a healthy, carbon-sink built environment, Climate Cleanup creates the conditions for the regenerative use of bio-based construction materials through systemic interventions.

Construction Stored Carbon Credits

As part of the Built by Nature & Good Energies construction-stored carbon monetisation initiative, Climate Cleanup and partners are developing a method to certify carbon storage in biobased construction materials and projects. Using this method, CSC-certificates can be issued and subsequently sold on the voluntary carbon market to generate transition finance for biobased construction.

Construction Stored Carbon metric

Together with ASN Bank and Gideon Building Transition Tribes, Climate Cleanup created a financial metric for carbon storage in the built environment. The metric works on a product, project and portfolio level. Complete with an extensive report, calculation tool, and 30+ calculated pioneering project cases, this intervention allows construction stakeholders to easily quantify their Construction Stored Carbon.

Bio-based comparison tool

With Holland Houtland, ASN Bank and the Province of South-Holland, we created an open and free to use web-app to compare the climate and other impacts of bio-based versus regular construction materials – all converted to numbers for the average Dutch house.

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