Trees naturally capture carbon dioxide as they grow, removing it from the air we breathe and storing it in a process called carbon sequestration. Australia has 134 million hectares of forest – the seventh largest reported forest area of any country in the world. As these forests grow, they will continue to filter our air.
Half the stored weight of dried timber is carbon. By using timber in our construction, we’re contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gases by increasing the amount of carbon captured through the development of renewable plantations.
Trees naturally capture carbon – most efficiently as they mature and grow. By replanting after harvesting matured trees, our plantations maximise carbon sequestration. As a result, every hour Australian plantations collect and store an incredible 241 tonnes of CO2. In that same time they will regrow enough timber to build a multi-storey mass timber building.
CLT panels store more carbon than they emit during manufacture. This makes them a carbon positive construction material.
Biogenic CO2 uptake and storage (-781kg)
Fossil GHG emissions (134kg) +
Biogenic GHG emissions (1.84kg)
Fossil GHG emissions (9.2kg) +
Biogenic GHG emissions (0.39kg)
Fossil GHG emissions (48.8kg) +
Biogenic GHG emissions (22.9kg)
Fossil GHG emissions (10.5kg) –
Biogenic GHG emissions (-6.30kg)
Fossil GHG emissions (10.5kg) –
Biogenic GHG emissions (-6.30kg)
Embodied carbon refers to the total amount of carbon dioxide produced as a result of the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance and disposal of timber products – it’s a measure of the environmental impact of building products. Understanding embodied carbon is essential for creating more sustainable and environmentally responsible infrastructure.
Timber has the lowest embodied carbon of all building materials, notably lower than steel and concrete. Timber locks more carbon in its fibre than is produced during the entire process from forest to build site.
For every m3 of XLAM CLT delivered to construction sites, approximately 492kg of carbon is reduced from our atmosphere.
In Australia, more than 70 million seedlings are planted each year by plantation owners.
Timber is the only building material that is an infinite resource – when a plantation-grown tree is cut down, it’s quickly replanted. Australia’s vast plantations ensure that the timber used by industry is rapidly regrown.
The combination of carbon stored in our trees and in timber products sourced from our plantation forests represents a significant carbon sink for Australia. XLAM timber is sourced from sustainable plantations and carries a full chain-of-custody certification.
XLAM timber is PEFC certified. Our raw timber materials are sourced from sustainable, Responsible Wood (PEFC) certified sources with full chain-of-custody certification.
XLAM CLT is ‘Declare Red List Free’ certified. Our product complies with the stringent criteria of the Living Building Challenge, which supports informed choices for healthier buildings.