PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The transport sector, especially road and air, is the third largest contributor to climate change globally. Increasingly globalised, transport is responsible for more than 20% of the EU’s total CO2 emissions. Its share is expected to increase, particularly regarding the movement of goods. Longer distances and increasing freight volumes are forecast.
Although the increased use of wood and other renewable raw materials is generally regarded as making a positive contribution to climate protection, it only applies to durable applications. The wood products market has also become global, despite enough wood being regionally available. As a result, only wood travelling short distances in the chain of custody (CoC) can be considered climate friendly.
OBJECTIVES
The overall objective of the LIFE climate value chains project was to reduce the transportation of timber by promoting local supply chains. It aimed to promote an existing climate label, along with the monitoring instrument Holz von Hier (HVH), as a best practice for the main target groups: public authorities, town planners, transport companies and wood processing companies. The HVH label is managed by the LIFE climate value chains project’s coordinating beneficiary.
Specifically, the project aimed to:
shift supply chains in the timber sector of the participating countries towards a reduction of material flows, with the aim of reducing carbon emissions through the implementation of monitoring and assessment tools within these chains from cradle to customer
- establish climate friendly value chains in the main product groups in all participating regions and countries
- raise awareness among planners and architects as important influencers on the choice of construction materials and their environmental impact
- motivate and convince architects to increasingly use wood and other renewable materials, and to put an emphasis on products from short distance supply chains with a very low carbon footprint
- integrate grey energy (primary energy required for the construction of a building) into the area of green public procurement
- reach and involve decision-makers and authorities at regional, national and European level (e.g. in local advisory boards), to raise awareness of the significance traffic-related emissions for the overall footprint of materials, products and buildings
- raise awareness of consumers and the general public on the influence of material flows on climate change, the need to change behaviour and the opportunities for doing so
The project would contribute to the implementation of the New Circular Economy Action Plan in the ‘Construction and buildings’ sector by reducing climate impacts through the use of local/regional construction materials. It was also in line with the Green Public Procurement (GPP) policy to promote short distances in the value chains and origin of products. At the national level, the beneficiaries would promote the recognition of the climate label and monitoring instrument, HVH, as best practice.
RESULTS
The project has been successfully completed, achieving its overarching objective of reducing carbon emissions in timber supply chains. This was accomplished by promoting the use of local timber for building materials, interior applications and furniture. Key measures included information campaigns targeting wood processing companies, changes in procurement practices by public authorities, and awareness campaigns for the general public.
The project involved 5 countries (Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy and Slovenia), with its main implementation being in Austria, Germany and Italy.
While the original target of engaging 200 companies in the Low Carbon Timber (LCT) / Holz von Hier (HVH) network and 100 public tenders applying LCT / HVH rules was not fully met, the anticipated CO₂ emission reductions were still realised, largely due to participation from several major industry players.
Another major success of the project is the recognition of LTC / HVH standards in national subsidy programmes, a development that was foreseen at the project's start.
The project also contributed to relevant EU policies—most notably the EU Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR)—and adjusted the existing software system to align with new legal requirements. As the complete transportation chain was taken into account, the project could demonstrate that the majority of emissions are originated from transportation (about 80%), which is not adequately considered in other wood licensing systems.
The project’s short-term environmental impacts were:
reduction in carbon emissions by 30 000 tonnes per year, due to the regional closure of processing chains as a result of changes in the behaviour
- a 50% increase in the share of renewable building materials in buildings and projects of the respective actors
The project’s more long-term environmental effects are a significant reduction of CO2 emissions in this important socio-economic sector in the target countries via the closure of cycles in the processing chains of traditional wood products: a CO2 reduction potential of 2.64m tonnes a year compared to the current annual savings from the entire European Green Building Programme of 22 000 tonnes and the European Green Light Programme of 130 000 tonnes.
If just 5% of the sector switched to climate-friendly processing chains, an annual CO2 emission saving of 125 000 tonnes could be made in the participating countries.
