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.

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.

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.