The Structural Timber Association (STA) has welcomed the commitment made from the Government to explore whole-life carbon assessments following the Environmental Audit Committee’s proposal.
In 2023 Ministers will launch a consultation on implementing a proposal from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) which has the potential to address the source of 25% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The Government made the undertaking in its response to an EAC report which examined the sustainability of the built environment.
EAC considers that the new administration must now build on this momentum, acknowledging the urgency of clamping down on built environment emissions which was demonstrated in the Committee’s report. EAC considers that the Government’s timescales need to be more ambitious to meet carbon budgets and the Government’s net zero target.
Andrew Orriss, STA’s Chief Operating Officer, comments: “We very much welcome the Government’s statement of intent to tackle emissions from the UK’s built environment – which currently makes up 25 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“The Government has a firm commitment to meet the 2050 net zero carbon emissions, as well as the UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (made at COP26), pledging a 68 per cent reduction in the UK’s carbon emissions by 2030! It is abundantly clear that reducing the carbon footprint of the materials we use in construction and adopting more sustainable materials, such as timber, will have a significant impact.
“Indeed, with an awareness of the impact of construction on the climate, it is worth noting that trees absorb and store CO2 as they grow, meaning that for every cubic metre of timber used in construction, an estimated 0.9 tonnes of CO2e is sequestered and stored for the lifetime of the building. Embodied carbon accounts for a significant proportion of a building’s whole life carbon emissions. Undertaking whole-life carbon assessments, will certainly allow the industry to start measuring and controlling this carbon.
“The STA are the industry partners for Timber in Construction, a cross-department group set up by the Government, and we continue to support and help agree policy, robust standards and an effective route map to deliver the pressing net zero agenda.”
