Sustainable action in timber, projects and values

Wood is an extraordinary material. Grown by nature itself, it requires minimal processing compared to synthetic or heavily manufactured materials, resulting in a much smaller environmental footprint and reduced ecological damage associated with resource extraction and manufacturing. Wood is one of the few renewable resources. Sourcing from responsibly managed forests and sustainable forestry practices ensure that for each tree harvested, new ones are planted, which supports a continuous, natural growth cycle and reduces environmental impact.

Trees are true climate heroes. As they grow, trees absorb carbon dioxide CO₂ from the atmosphere and store carbon C in their biomass. On average, one cubic meter of wood binds nearly 1 tonne of CO₂ equivalents. When trees rot, the stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere as they decompose. If the trees in the forest absorb more carbon over a certain period of time than they release, the forest is a carbon sink. Carbon sinks are an important part of the fight against climate change.

© proHolz, Austria

In 2022, the built environment was responsible for 37 % of all global process- and energy-related CO₂ emissions. To mitigate this impact and achieve a climate-neutral building stock, buildings must become more energy-efficient, less CO₂-intensive and more sustainable throughout their entire life cycle.

Life cycles assessments (LCAs) are used to evaluate buildings environmental impact across their entire life cycle. Various comparisons have been made regarding the impact of different building materials, with the results consistently showing significantly reduced emissions for mass timber construction when compared to conventional building materials.

Binderholz provides Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for all its mass timber products, offering transparency and supporting sustainability efforts. Incorporating EPDs into building design decisions ensures a clear understanding of the environmental impact of materials throughout their entire life cycle, helping stakeholders to make informed, sustainable choices.

In addition to LCAs and EPDs, Green Building Certifications such as LEED, BREEAM, and DGNB play a crucial role in promoting sustainable construction. These certifications set high standards for energy efficiency, environmental impact and overall sustainability of buildings. Green building certifications are essential tools in driving the adoption of sustainable practices in the construction industry.

At b_project, we have extensive experience working with various green building systems and have successfully delivered numerous projects in accordance with their high standards. By leveraging our expertise and knowledge of the certification processes, we help our clients achieve their sustainability goals while ensuring compliance with leading green building standards. Furthermore, our products are registered in various databases, making them easily accessible for the use in your building project.

• project-specific logistics concepts with a view to sustainability e.g. main distance transport by train using our railway connections at our sites in Hallein and Jenbach
• the development of sustainable construction solutions that are suitable for dismantling and reuse
• processing exclusively timber from sustainable and controlled forest management
• local production with sites in Austria and Germany, according to a 'zero waste' principle
• We build for the planet

In line with our vision, to contribute to an ecological and sustainable development of the construction industry with our sustainable products and services, we are continuous seeking for ways to reduce the environmental impact of our products and services throughout their life cycle, to b_better.

Binderholz stands for a responsible use of wood. Our high-quality timber products are manufactured with the utmost care according to a 'zero waste' principle, from seedling to complete utilisation.

Maelor, member of binderholz, are the UK’s foremost growers of coniferous and broadleaf trees, growing more than 50 million trees per year in UK-based nurseries supplied by their own seed orchards. For every tree BSW harvests, a minimum of three trees are planted in its place, through BSW’s own seed generation.

Tilhill is the UK’s leading harvesting and forestry management business. It manages in excess of 200,000 hectares of woodlands and oversees the harvesting of approximately 1.7 million tonnes per annum, trading 2.5 million tonnes of timber per annum. Tilhill employs in-house ecologists who carry out Environmental Impact Assessments and plan the pre-harvesting stage to ensure protection of the forest asset and to avoid harvesting delays. Tilhill are also one of the UK’s leading landscapers, working for the likes of Highways England. 

Tilhill recently launched a division called CarbonStore, working with companies and landowners to design, plant and manage new woodlands which, by absorbing carbon dioxide, help alleviate climate change for businesses.

In our sawmills, we process the entire trunk – from core to bark – and use 100 % of the timber raw material. After delivery, logs are processed into sawn timber, solid wood panels, glulam, and CLT BBS. By-products of production such as bark, offcuts, wood chips, sawdust, and wood shavings are turned into biofuels in form of pellets and briquettes or converted into thermal energy or green electricity in our own biomass cogeneration plant. 100 percent value creation, 0 percent waste.

to quality, sustainability, and safety: ISO Certified Standards

Since September 2023, our site in Hallein is proudly certified according to the ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 standards, ensuring the highest levels of quality, environmental responsibility, and occupational health and safety. The certification includes our complete portfolio of coordination, engineering, supply and execution of structures made of solid timber products as well as distribution of binderholz cross laminated timber CLT BBS.

These certifications demonstrate our commitment to maintaining a consistently high standard of quality, while also prioritizing environmental sustainability and the well-being of our employees. For our customers, this means reliable, efficient and safe solutions, backed by a company that adheres to internationally recognized best practices. With these certifications, you can trust that we are continuously improving our processes, minimizing our environmental impact and ensuring a safe working environment, all of which contribute to delivering superior value and confidence in our services.