Sustainability & Environmental Consulting

Bioregional, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), has developed the Sustainable Building Materials Hub, a resource center aimed at assisting governments and policymakers in transitioning to more sustainable and less carbon-intensive building materials. This initiative addresses the pressing issue of the construction sector, which accounted for approximately 37% of global energy-related emissions in 2021, with projections indicating that raw material use in this industry could double by 2060.

The Hub was launched during World Green Building Week 2023, with Bioregional's CEO, Sue Riddlestone OBE, emphasizing the urgent need for reduced environmental impacts from building materials. The Hub serves as a comprehensive repository of over 200 resources, including research papers, case studies, tools, and policy briefs, designed to support the development of actionable policies that promote sustainable construction practices. This initiative is part of the broader Transforming the Built Environment through Sustainable Materials project, which focuses on sustainable construction in countries such as Bangladesh, India, Ghana, and Senegal, while also influencing high-level international discussions, including those at COP28.

The Hub's resources are intended to facilitate a whole life cycle approach to building materials, promoting strategies to avoid, shift, and improve material use. The findings from a flagship study published by UNEP and GlobalABC highlight the critical need for innovation in building materials, predicting that if current practices continue, embodied carbon could account for 49% of all building emissions by 2050. The Hub aims to mainstream the use of lower carbon materials and circular approaches, making credible information more accessible to policymakers.

Experts, including Nicholas Ramirez from the Green Building Council of Costa Rica, have noted the Hub's potential to support national decarbonization efforts and resource efficiency. The Hub is positioned as a valuable tool for countries implementing their National Decarbonization Plans and Circular Economy strategies, showcasing successful examples of sustainable practices that can be adopted globally.