The climate impact of our homes, schools, offices and stores goes beyond the actual energy consumption made by heating and cooling. It starts from before the buildings are even built and even after their used life when they need to be demolished.

Hence, to reduce carbon emissions of buildings it is important to use eco-friendly, recycled and reused materials. In fact a more careful approach to the use of materials can save around 80% of the associated emissions. Globally, embodied emissions across buildings´ lifecycles are projected to surge to 50% by mid-century as buildings are becoming more energy efficient. In the case of Denmark, where buildings are particularly energy efficient, the impact of construction materials is typically two to four times higher than that of the emissions of building´s use.

Read the original source