Carbon Saving Potentials of a Bio-based Construction Industry

Abstract

Biogenic materials such as timber, bamboo and straw represent an interesting alternative to traditional construction materials thanks to their higher sustainability. In literature, there are plenty of studies comparing the environmental impact of traditional and bio-based structures, it is unclear however what are the potential benefits of a large scale implementation of these materials on the environment. To try filling this gap, in this work the world building stock between 2020 and 2050 was modelled under the two scenarios of traditional and bio-based construction materials. The results show that could be expected emission reductions up to 69Gt of CO₂, which would allow the construction industry to comfortably remain below its 2.0°C and 1.5°C CO₂ emission budget. The benefit of using fast-growing bio-based materials such as bamboo rather than timber were also studied and evaluated to be up to 80%. The main implementation barriers for such a solution were also touched upon, identifying 3 main issues in culture, lack of infrastructure and isolation of the scientific community. It is concluded that a large scale implementation of bio-based material has the potentials to strongly reduced the environmental impact of the construction industry, and that further action is encouraged to address the current obstacles.