Bio-based materials can help to make buildings carbon-positive by locking carbon into the materials and storing it over the life of the product. A fundamental barrier to working with new materials in the construction industry is product knowledge and material accessibility. The City Handbook for Carbon Neutral Buildings offers a guide for policymakers and practitioners worldwide to overcome these barriers and gives public as well as private procurement teams a hands-on tool to allow them to influence the adoption of bio-based materials.
The Handbook provides guidance on the purchasing and use of sustainable, bio-based building materials in construction from the production of building materials to their transportation, assemblage, and treatment after demolition. The Handbook, developed with input from city officials in Europe and North America and key stakeholders throughout the procurement chain, includes a material catalogue of bio-based alternatives for structures, cladding and insulation.
Commissioned by the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, the Handbook was made possible with the support of the Laudes Foundation and Built by Nature.