Builders and developers can now easily access environmental and sustainability data on a range of timber products, through the WoodSolutions Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) database.
This information will help the built environment sector to meet sustainability standards and achieve green certifications, by more accurately accounting for embodied greenhouse gas emissions (embodied carbon) in their projects.
Embodied carbon is a measure of a material’s carbon footprint. It encompasses the various stages it goes through before it is used in a construction project, such as harvesting, transportation and processing.
Understanding these values is important to support sustainable building and development, but gathering this data from various sources has been incredibly challenging to date.
The database collates information on a range of timber products and construction materials, manufactured both in Australia and overseas. In addition to product-specific data, users can also access industry-generic information, such as average values for a particular product category across all manufacturers.
Head of Built Environment Programs at FWPA, Kevin Peachey, said the tool was another step in supporting the Australian built environment sector to achieve their sustainability goals and contribute to emissions reduction.
“The sustainability benefits of timber in the built environment are becoming more widely recognised, and as the forest and wood processing sector continues to improve its timber manufacturing processes, these benefits grow larger,” said Kevin.
“Data that quantifies the environmental properties of timber products will support builders and developers to make informed decisions and strengthen the case for timber as a material of choice for sustainable building projects.”
Timber’s ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere is one of the factors making it a more sustainable option for construction. Biogenic carbon – which refers to the carbon absorbed or accumulated within organic materials such as plants and trees – is a key pillar of the forest and wood processing sector’s sustainability attributes.
“FWPA recognised the need to make this data easily accessible and is uniquely placed to collate accurate, trustworthy information from across the industry and share this with members,” said Kevin.
The database is free to access via the WoodSolutions website via this link.
