Construction Stored Carbon Certificates

Construction Stored Carbon Certificates

Certification of carbon stored in buildings and materials enables construction companies, governments and financial institutions to monetize the extra climate value, hereby funding the transition from fossil to biobased construction by making biobased the cheaper option

Introduction

Climate Cleanup’s CSC Certificates initiative lays the foundation for certifying carbon storage in biobased buildings. Below you will find all necessary information and tools to get started with the certification of a biobased construction project. Next steps include developing detailed guidance for all of the different use cases of CSC certificates, streamlining the certification process, and continuing our advisory role to the European Commission on aligning EU policy goals and regulations with the practical possibilities and interests of biobased value chains.

Certification Tools

Want to get started with the certification process of your own biobased construction projects? Use the certification tools shown below to fill in a project submission form for our certification platform Oncra. Afterwards, send it to our Oncra team to start the process!

Starters Guide

The starter’s guide assists in understanding and implementing the process of quantifying, appreciating, and certifying CO₂ sequestration in biobased construction projects. It offers a concise, step-by-step guide to getting your construction project certified.

Certification Protocol

This certification protocol describes how to robustly quantify and certify the Net Carbon Removal Benefit of a biobased construction project, following the new EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF). This benefit is caused by storing biogenic carbon for a long time in the constructed building, beyond what is common practice and/or mandated by law.

Open Calculation Tool

We have updated our Open Calculation Tool to calculate the Net Carbon Removal Benefit of Biobased Construction projects following our new certification protocol. This tool uses validated product data and produces a printable report. The tool is open and free to use.

Partners

About this initiative 

As part of the construction-stored carbon monetisation initiative, Climate Cleanup and partners explored ways to monetise the carbon stored in biobased construction materials to provide transition finance for the construction industry. Why do we do this? Effective, fair, and transparent monetisation of CSC can help overcome the green premium (additional costs) associated with biobased materials and projects. This, in turn, can catalyse the growth of the biobased construction sector, helping it reach economies of scale. Bridging the green premium is a key solution to transforming the built environment from a carbon source into a carbon sink.

Providing certificates for the construction of Biobased buildings is one of the key ways to monetise CSC. Following the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework, these certificates can unlock carbon-based subsidies, investments, inherent asset value for biobased construction elements, and benefits for sustainability reporting. Organisations from within and outside the biobased construction value chain can buy CSC certificates to meet requirements for sustainability reporting and climate action.

Development process: a sprint-based approach 

We embraced a dynamic sprint-based approach to accomplish the goal of financing the transition towards a carbon sink built environment. Results and learnings from each sprint are published periodically in the sprint reports below. This methodology allowed us to iterate rapidly, respond to feedback promptly, and deliver results efficiently.

Sprint 1: Ecosystem Formation

Frontrunners tackle the Construction Stored Carbon monetisation challenge

Sprint 2: Finance & Market

Harnessing a market perspective to develop reliable, high-integrity CSC credits

Sprint 3: Certification Protocol

Certification Protocol for the measurement of Net Carbon Removal Benefit

Sprint 4: Institutional Alignment

Inform and connect to the emerging policy field on three governmental levels

Sprint 5: Pilot Projects

A catalogue of certified carbon storage projects, providing detailed information on verified initiatives aimed at storing carbon dioxide in buildings.

Join us!

Stay in the loop on our Construction Stored Carbon interventions and contribute!