CEPS Construction Day 2025
Session 2: Buildings and whole life carbon
Christian Holzleitner, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate (DG CLIMA)
He presented the new certification system, the Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming Regulation (CRCF Regulation), which addresses the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and a regenerative method of binding carbon in soils using biochar. The system distinguishes three areas: carbon farming, carbon storage in buildings, and permanent removals. In the “permanent removals” area, the use of biochar is of interest to the real estate sector and concrete producers. By adding biochar to concrete, CO₂can be stored permanently, enabling the issuance of corresponding removal certificates. An implementation timeframe up to around 2028 is expected.
Luca Nipius, CEPS
Buildings can act as long-lived carbon storage units, further enhanced by design choices that extend product lifetimes and reuse cycles. By shifting towards carbon-storing materials, the built environment could store gigatons of CO₂ while addressing urban development needs, though its actual contribution to net carbon removals remains uncertain.
Sebastian Spaun, Austrian cement industry
He explained why cement and concrete are difficult to replace as mass construction materials. He noted that concrete’s CO₂ footprint per cubic meter is among the smallest compared with the most commonly used building materials in structural construction. He then discussed the cement industry’s decarbonization measures and highlighted challenges regarding the availability of CCS and CCU in Austria and other landlocked countries.
Ida Karlsson, Chalmers University of Göteborg
She summarized the day’s findings, noting that all efforts must be directed toward reducing emissions, removing CO₂ from the atmosphere, closing resource and carbon cycles, and prioritizing reuse over recycling and disposal.