Life Cycle Assessment of the Environmental Benefits of Using Wood Products and Planting Trees at an All-Electric University Laboratory

Abstract

Many countries across the globe have set targets for different economic sectors, aiming to tackle global warming by reducing the overall carbon footprint of human-related activities. Among these sectors, the building industry stands out as a major consumer of materials and energy resources, making it a key player in achieving carbon neutrality. It is one of the main contributors responsible for energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including both operational emissions and embodied emissions in materials and equipment manufacturing. Nature-based design solutions, such as planting trees in urban spaces, or incorporating the use of wood products, have regained attention in recent years due to their potential to mitigate carbon emissions from buildings. Within this context, this paper presents a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of a recently built research facility, with a focus on demonstrating how the benefits of nature-based solutions, specifically carbon sequestration from trees and biogenic carbon content in wood products, can be quantified and reported using the latest LCA standards and tools. The analysis is provided under three end-of-life scenarios for wood products: wood incineration with energy recovery, wood landfilling, and wood recycling/repurposing. The results indicate that the set of strategies adopted in this building, i.e., tree planting, the use of wood products, and the end-of-life treatment of materials, can potentially offset carbon emission by 37.2% up to 83.9% when included in the LCA, depending on the scenario considered. By continuing to refine LCA standards and tools, and fostering collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals, we can advance our understanding and ultimately achieve the widespread adoption of carbon-neutral buildings.