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Environmental and climate protection
For binderholz, environmental protection and environmental compatibility mean sustainable, ecological responsibility in relation to human beings and nature alike. That’s why products and production processes are systematically guided by and continually developed further according to ecological criteria. Construction with wood makes sense in every way. In our part of the world, wood is available as a natural and sustainable raw material practically everywhere.
CO2 – Timber construction is active climate protection
Each cubic meter of wood has absorbed around 900 kg of CO2! The usage of wood as a sustainable raw material reduces the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere and hence works against the greenhouse effect. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and store it as biogenic carbon over a long period of time. Each tree trunk that has been used makes room for new trees and increases the carbon reservoir in the wood. Without the utilization of wood, e.g. in a forest that is not exploited, the carbon that is stored will be emitted unused into the atmosphere as CO2 through the decay of the trees. Building with timber makes sense in every way. In our part of the world, it is available everywhere and constitutes a raw material that is natural and sustainable, of which more is growing again than is harvested.
Photosynthesis enables the CO2 absorption
During photosynthesis, the tree absorbs CO2 from the air, plus water and nutrients from the ground, while it grows and builds the organic material wood from these components. In the process, the low-energy carbon dioxide molecule is broken down into a high-energy carbon atom and a high-energy oxygen atom with the aid of light. The oxygen (O) is emitted into the surroundings, whereas the carbon (C) serves for the organic growth of the tree and will be absorbed for the rest of its life span.
Carbon sink
As already mentioned above, trees absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide while they grow. In times of rising CO2 emissions, forests that are maintained and kept in balance by controlled forestry, as they can be found all over Europe, constitute a vital factor for the reduction of CO2 emissions. Thus they contribute to a good and sustainable future. One could say that the carbon is the scaffolding for the organic development of the tree (body of wood); it will remain absorbed during the entire “life cycle” that the tree has as a tree or as a building material. Only with combustion or the natural decay of the wood is the carbon emitted into the atmosphere again. Thus not only the forests but also buildings, furniture or even toys made of wood are carbon repositories and contribute to the reduction of the CO2 content in the atmosphere. No matter in what way a tree is used, the carbon remains absorbed in it for the entire life span of the product. Thus the increased deployment of the CO2 neutral raw material of wood as a building and construction material plays a decisive role in the global reduction of CO2 emissions, which is so urgently needed, and thus makes an essential contribution to climate protection.
PEFC certification
All binderholz products are PEFC certified. PEFC is the proof that products come from forests that have been cultivated sustainably; it aims at the conservation of forests. This goal is to be achieved through the promotion and support of sustainable cultivation. Strict criteria to which the cultivation of the forests is aligned in conjunction with in-house monitoring as well as an annual external on-site monitoring by an independent certifier serve the purpose of complying with the goals and guidelines.
The Kyoto Treaty
Internationally legally binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions were determined for the first time at the climate protection conference in Kyoto (Japan) in 1997. In addition, the Kyoto Treaty codified the consideration of forests as carbon sinks and the option for the trading of emissions. The process of the determination of the many detailed stipulations was concluded at the 7th member states’ conference in Marrakesh in 2001. 177 countries have joined or ratified the Treaty or at least have consented to it since then. Building with wood constitutes an essential component for achieving the targets. For more information on the Kyoto Treaty, see: www.unfccc.de
Recycling
57% of the entire waste production in Austria derives from building activities. The waste of remaining masses from building (building rubble, concrete demolition and so forth) amounts to around 5 million tons/year (= 18% of all building waste). The so-called building site waste accounts for the smallest portion in the total building waste, with another 4% (1.1 tons/year). Waste cannot be completely avoided but can be recycled to a large extent. Up to 90% of building site waste can be avoided by recycling. Wood and plaster are ecologically recyclable; they can reenter the production process or can be used a second time or be made further use of. The products’ environmentally compatible material underscores their recyclability.
Orderly dismantling—demolition
When analyzing the waste production, a reduction of the waste production can be seen in the scenarios of an expanded application of timber construction methods. Moreover, the waste they produce indicates a great exploitation potential in terms of material and energy; the exploitation efficiency can be even heightened through the development of exploitation-compatible construction methods. The choice of material today has an impact on the waste of tomorrow. So already in the planning process it has to be ensured that material is integrated in such a way that they are easily available and can be optimally recycled as materials (“design für recycling”) or for the generation of energy (“design for energy”) at the end of their life cycle. In this context, timber construction proves beneficial, since wood can be more easily manipulated ideally, it can be dismantled and reused as a complete, high-value construction component. For wood, the exploitation for the production of energy and the effects this has on the replacement of fossil energy sources stands at the bottom of the list. The wood construction method thus has a great potential for saving material and energy resources.
