Impact Scan for Timber Construction in Europe
A study to identify European regions and scenarios in which the environmental impact of bio-based materials can be maximised


Nico Schouten
Team Lead / Senior Sustainability Consultant Built EnvironmentThe Impact Scan for Timber Construction in Europe is a study by Metabolic, which aims to identify regions in Europe in which the impact of biobased construction materials would be highest, but also the location of current production hotspots for biobased materials and how these local markets could influence the environmental impact of biobased products. The study carries out an analysis of the current situation of bio-based production and consumption in the European construction sector, which allows visualising its environmental impact in the following indicators:
- Raw material consumption
- Emission of embedded CO2-eq of current construction demand
- Embodied water consumption of current construction demand
- Land use change of current construction demand
A scenario exercise is also being co-created in which biobased construction materials such as CLT replace a significant amount of raw materials currently being used in the construction industry. Based on this scenario Metabolic will analyse the achievable CO2-eq reduction that this scenario would lead to if implemented.