Evaluation of the climate benefits of the use of harvested wood products in the construction sector and assessment of remuneration schemes: Final Report

The aim of this study is to evaluate the climate benefits of harvested Wood-based Construction Products (WCP), and to explore the role of policy in encouraging the use of these materials. In particular, this study explores the opportunities and challenges of incentivizing an increased uptake of WCPs, as well as the ways in which policy can successfully support this transition, by remunerating market actors that employ WCPs in construction projects. Based on the analysis of the construction market and of the wood value chain, and of the regulatory environment surrounding WCPs in the European Union, the study identifies barriers and opportunities for an increased deployment of these products. It then performs a critical review and comparison of existing methodologies for the calculation of embodied emissions and biogenic carbon content. The study then proposes the design of a method, usable by practitioners, to assess the climate benefits of using WCPs. The method values the fact that WCPs delay the release of GHG by several decades (long-term carbon capture). Based on this method, a remuneration scheme is proposed to encourage the usage of WCPs, targeting beam manufacturers and project developers.