Free Webinar: Certification and Innovation in Bio-Based Construction

Certification plays a critical role in this transformation, providing a robust framework for validating the sustainability performance and attesting to the environmental credentials of these innovative bio-based materials

Certification in Bio-based Construction

The construction sector is one of the most significant contributors to global CO₂ emissions, accounting for approximately 37 % of energy- and processing-related carbon dioxide emissions worldwide (UNEP, 2022). It further accounts for about 50% of all extracted materials (EC, 2025). As the building industry seeks to reduce its environmental impact, bio-based materials are emerging as a promising solution for more sustainable construction.

Certification plays a critical role in this transformation, providing a robust framework for validating the sustainability performance and attesting to the environmental credentials of these innovative bio-based materials. To address this critical issue and explore innovative approaches, the EU-funded research projects 3-CO and BioReCer are organising a comprehensive webinar on certification and innovation in bio-based construction materials.

A Holistic Approach to Sustainable Construction

This informative event, scheduled for 25 February 2025, at 13:00 CEST, will explore the entire range of bio-based construction materials and their diverse applications. The webinar will cover crucial aspects of sustainable building, including:

  • The importance of certification for bio-based products,
  • Sustainable building design, conception, and planning,
  • material recommendations,
  • Building passports as tools for capturing and communicating building data, material composition, and environmental performance,
  • Circularity indicators and their role in assessing a building’s sustainability, including the new ISO 59040 standard for Product Circularity Data Sheets, which emphasises circular concepts such as design for disassembly.
  • Different assessment methods for sustainability of buildings and for constructions, including the Quality Seal for Sustainable Buildings (QNG), e.g., CO₂-footprint for buildings.

Expert perspective on innovation

The webinar brings together a distinguished panel of experts from certification bodies, public institutions, and innovative producers:

  • Martin Behrens (Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR))
  • Sergiy Kovalenkov (CEO and Founder of Hempire)
  • Hein van Tuijl (EPEA Benelux)

These will share their extensive knowledge on material innovation, certification processes, and the political environment that shapes sustainable construction.

Environmental benefits of bio-based materials

Bio-based materials significantly contribute to reducing carbon emissions in construction and its defossiliation. For example, wood-based structures act as carbon sinks by storing CO₂ throughout their lifecycle. Similarly, hemp insulation provides excellent thermal performance with a lower environmental footprint compared to conventional materials.

Promoting collaborative change in construction through bio-based materials

This webinar serves as a platform for fostering collaborative change within the construction sector. By connecting diverse stakeholders from innovative material producers to forward-thinking municipalities, from certification experts to architectural visionaries, the research projects 3-CO and BioReCer aim to facilitate meaningful discussions that can lead to actionable solutions for sustainable building practices.
Join the conversion on February 25, 2025, at 13:00 CEST.

About the projects

The Horizon Europe projects 3-CO and BioReCer are both dedicated to advancing sustainable practices in the bio-based economy, with a focus on enhancing current certification schemes.

BioReCer (Biological Resources Certifications Schemes) aims at assessing and complementing current certification schemes for biological resources according to the new EU sustainability goals to enhance bio-based circular systems. This will be achieved by including new criteria that align with EU taxonomy and EU corporate due diligence regulations into guidelines for certifying biological resources’ sustainability, origin, tracking and traceability (T&T), and by ensuring applicability at EU and global scale. By promoting the sustainability and trade of biological resources, BioReCer will increase the added value, use, as well as social acceptance of bio-based products. http://www.biorecer.eu/

The key objective of the project 3-CO (Concise Consumer Communication through Robust Labels for Biobased Systems) is to support sustainable consumption and improve consumer behaviour through smart digital solutions and guidelines for Labelling and Certification Scheme holders. 3-CO will therefore develop and demonstrate the viability of a supportive framework for LCS on Business-to-Consumers (B2C) communication for industrial bio-based products, and will publish guidelines for label development. The recommendations and guidelines will be verified in ten different value chains, which were selected based on their relevance. http://www.3co-project.eu

Together, these projects contribute to shaping a more transparent and accountable bio-based industry through improved certification and labelling schemes.

Both projects are funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the respective granting authority. Neither the European Union nor the granting authorities can be held responsible for them.

Source

nova-Institute, original text, 2025-01-31.

Supplier

3-CO Concise consumer Communication
BioReCer
Cetaqua
Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR)
Hempire
Horizon Europe
nova-Institut GmbH
REDcert GmbH
Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT)
TÜV AUSTRIA Group

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