Timber’s role in the fight against climate change is becoming more widely recognised and greater timber use is one of the recommendations made by the Climate Change Committee. However, the need to calculate the embodied carbon within a building is taking time to move into the mainstream, and the timber industry still faces barriers to wide-spread adoption within UK policy. In the UK, government policy focuses only on reducing the operational carbon emissions created by buildings. Indeed, the UK government’s Future Homes Standard, released at the start of 2021, missed an important opportunity when it failed to include the need to reduce embodied carbon.
In response, the UK timber industry has called on the government to take stronger action to reduce embodied carbon emissions through policy, supported by initiatives such as Wood CO2ts Less and Time for Timber, alongside campaigns such as Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN).
The combined impact of Brexit and Covid-19 have had a significant effect on timber supplies, with material shortages and price increases widely reported. Whilst many are experiencing increased demand for timber products, it may be tempting for those in the timber trade to reduce marketing effort during this time to avoid creating further pressure on demand. However, a joint statement from the Confederation of Timber Industries, the Timber Trade Federation and Swedish Wood suggests an expected easing of supply tension over the coming months.
The industry must continue to make the most of the recent buzz around wood. Considerations around embodied carbon combined with market pressure on the timber supply chain serve to remind us of the critical role that timber can play in the circular economy and potential of timber buildings in a net-zero future. Designing buildings that can be flexible during their lifetime is an increasingly important element of sustainable architecture and design, and timber is the ideal material for re-use. Designing for disassembly, both for furniture or joinery products, as well as whole building systems, means that timber products and buildings can have multiple lives.
