Vienna (OTS) – Representatives of the Austrian cement and concrete industry are critical of the government’s announced 3-point plan to strengthen timber construction. Differences between building materials in terms of environmental compatibility are much smaller than is often perceived in the public debate.
The Austrian cement and concrete industry, in collaboration with the Austrian Master Builders Association, is criticizing the three-point plan currently presented to strengthen timber construction in Austria. The fundamental prerequisite for sustainable construction in the future must be the equal treatment of all building materials and the full use of their potential. “Construction in Austria is currently undergoing a comprehensive transformation process. It is important to fully exploit the enormous sustainability potential of all building materials. Due to its longevity and circularity, concrete as a building material remains an indispensable foundation for this transformation. Our industry’s efforts in terms of CO2 and material reduction as well as recycling actively contribute to building more sustainably in the future.”
says Anton Glasmaier, Chairman of Beton Dialog Austria and Managing Director of the Association of Austrian Concrete and Precast Parts Works (VÖB).
Wood extraction causes huge CO2 emissions
The Austrian cement and concrete manufacturers demand that the entire life cycle of buildings be taken into account when assessing the life cycle of individual building materials. A comparison of the greenhouse gas potential of building materials shows that the differences are much smaller than is repeatedly communicated. With regard to wood as a building material, the effects of increasing wood extraction must urgently be included in the life cycle assessment data. International data also confirms this. So here comes a comprehensive one published this year World Resources Institute Study concludes that even without a future increase in demand for wood, forestry-related emissions worldwide amount to around 3.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent per year. “These emissions actually triple the savings that arise from replacing other building materials with wood,” says Glasmaier. At the same time, global deforestation is, according to the Forest Pathways Report 2023 increased by four percent last year alone and was 21 percent above the level needed to end deforestation by 2030. At the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, 105 countries set this goal.
Builders’ Association: Choosing the right building materials is crucial
In this context, the Austrian cement and concrete industry welcomes the demand of the Austrian Association of Master Builders for a building material-neutral, fact-based and honest approach to the selection of building materials. “We construction workers are very surprised by the federal government’s timber construction plan – and we assume that there will be a correction to this requirement shortly. Everyone knows how important our forests are for climate protection, how our planet would heat up if more deforestation occurred and what damage we would cause with increased use of wood.”
said Robert Jägersberger, chairman of the Austrian Master Builders Association. Choosing the right building materials plays a crucial role in every construction project. According to the master builders association, technical as well as economic and ecological parameters must be taken into account. “All relevant criteria must be weighted and evaluated for each construction project on a case-by-case basis, because one thing is certain: there is no ‘one’ right building material for all construction projects. The decision always depends on the type and functional requirements of the construction project, which of course also have to include the ecological framework conditions while considering the entire life cycle,” emphasizes Jägersberger.
About Beton Dialog Austria
Beton Dialog Österreich (BDÖ) is an interest group of cement, precast concrete and ready-mix concrete manufacturers in Austria. The aim of the BDÖ is to anchor in the public mind the importance of the recyclable building material concrete for environmentally and climate-friendly construction as well as the progress the industry has made so far in CO2 reduction. More information: www.betondialog.at
Questions & Contact:
dr. Nedad Memic
Communications Manager Beton Dialog Austria
0664 / 547 63 19
memic@betondialog.at | www.betondialog.at