Södra’s CLT Can Reduce Carbon Emissions by Up to 80% When Compared to Traditional Concrete Framing

The frame of a building normally has the greatest impact on the climate. On average the frame of a four to eight story apartment building will account for 45% of the building’s climate footprint. Södra’s recently published EPD demonstrates that this figure can be substantially reduced by using CLT. Timber is the only renewable material that can be used to construct high-rise buildings and Södra’s CLT produces a climate footprint of 34 kilograms CO₂ equivalents* per cubic meter. This could correspond to a reduction in the climate impact of up to 80 percent compared with a standard concrete frame, depending on how much CLT is used. Few other construction products around the world can compare with such a figure. Jörgen Hermansson, President of Södra Building Systems said, “The figure shows that Södra’s CLT has some of the lowest carbon emissions in the market and this is true across Sweden as we can offer fossil-free transportation.” How do Södra’s CLT differ from other suppliers in Europe? Södra’s CLT is composed of planed timber that is finger jointed and glued together into lamellas. The lamellas are then stacked crosswise, which produces a solid block of CLT. There are currently a number of CLT suppliers in Europe – but none has the same conditions as Södra, with its fossil-free operations.