Green shoots for timber building policy in Vienna
Green shoots, literal and political, emerged in Vienna this week as the snow melted and the Global Summit on Advancing Sustainable Forest-based Bioeconomy Approaches concluded with a sun-drenched group photo following a unanimous agreement on the Vienna Call to Action for a Sustainable Forest-Based Bioeconomy.
Over three days, governments, industry leaders and researchers aligned around five key recommendations that will now move forward to the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF21) in New York this May. This is where ministers and policymakers will take the next step in shaping the UN’s strategic global plan for forests, crucial for scaling sustainable materials, timber construction and low‑carbon solutions across the built environment.
From the outset, all parties committed “to recognize and build on tools, evidence, technologies and initiatives that exist to upscale bioeconomy approaches, such as the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction”. As the Co‑Chairs’ Summary noted, the Principles have already been endorsed by more than 350 organisations across the private and third sectors – alongside 15 national governments – and will now inform briefings for global forest policymakers.
This builds on the momentum generated when the Principles were embedded in the Buildings for Forests Acceleration Plan, launched during the COP31 Presidency Climate Action Agenda in Belém in November.
Why this matters for real‑world timber construction
Across Europe and globally, frontrunner companies increasingly tell us that policy barriers remain among the biggest obstacles to scaling mass timber, reducing embodied carbon and delivering sustainable buildings at speed.
That is why examples such as Costa Rica are so significant. As the first government to endorse the Principles, they have now introduced a national building code for timber construction directly shaped by the Principles. They are also exploring how timber buildings can be integrated into public procurement and affordable housing programmes, an important step toward mainstreaming biobased construction and decarbonising the built environment.
The Summit Co‑Chairs’ Summary highlights the urgency: “building codes, finance, and insurance rules in many countries fail to recognise the performance and safety of modern wood products… Immediate opportunities including integrating wood into national building regulations, and demonstration in public and private sector buildings and infrastructure.” It further emphasises that policies embedding timber construction into housing, infrastructure, renovation and climate strategies can reduce emissions at scale, while “clear sustainability standards and transparent supply chains are essential to build confidence and ensure that increased demand remains sustainable.”
European Commissioner Jessika Roswall emphasised that the forest‑based bioeconomy must both reinforce sustainable forest management and accelerate Europe’s shift toward low‑carbon, 21st‑century housing and development.
“Wood is a construction material of the 21st century.”
Jessika Roswall, EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and Competitive Circular Economy
Read Commissioner Roswall’s full speech
Site visit to Binderholz Austria
After the Summit, I visited one of Binderholz’s production facilities in central Austria – a company at the forefront of Europe’s mass‑timber sector, with a fully integrated, PEFC‑certified forest‑to‑frame production line. Walking their line, you move almost seamlessly from responsibly managed forest to precision‑engineered building elements for prefabricated, ultra energy-efficient homes that store carbon and are designed with circularity and eventual disassembly in mind.
It was a powerful reminder that what we had been discussing at the Summit is not theoretical, but highly practical. With the right regulatory signals across the value chain, companies like Binderholz can scale solutions that are already proven, high‑tech and aligned with nature. It underscored the essential connection between policymakers shaping ambition and practitioners showing what is possible right now.
From Commitment to Real-World Impact
Through the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction, Built by Nature and partners are helping transform these high‑level ambitions into actionable frameworks. By defining robust expectations on carbon, biodiversity and responsible sourcing, we aim to give governments, investors and developers the confidence to scale mass timber and sustainable construction safely and responsibly.
Our goal is simple: to ensure that timber is integrated into regulation, green building standards and procurement, not as a niche alternative, but as a proven, high‑performance, low‑carbon building material suitable for mainstream adoption. Doing so will help countries move from isolated pilot projects to sector‑wide transformation, growing demand for renewable materials in ways that strengthen forests, support communities and align with global climate ambitions.
Principles for Responsible Timber Construction
Global partnerships driving progress
The Summit was co‑chaired by Austria and South Africa, and co‑convened by Australia, Finland, Japan, Turkey, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO) and the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat (UNFFS).
Their collective leadership underscores a growing global consensus: to decarbonise the built environment, reduce embodied carbon and deliver climate‑resilient, sustainable buildings, the world must accelerate the responsible use of timber and other biobased materials.
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