Dialogue platform on carbon storage in timber construction at Swissbau

Timber construction as a climate savior or greenwashing? On January 22, 2026, S-WIN, together with DeCIRRA, hosted a dialogue platform in Basel to critically examine the promise of carbon storage in timber construction.

There is great interest in timber construction as a carbon sink. But how can this climate benefit be reliably measured and potentially monetized? Together with experts from research, industry, and administration, S-WIN discussed the opportunities and risks of CO₂ certificates at Swissbau.

Science meets market reality

The event was opened by Prof. Dr. Regina Betz (ZHAW / DeCIRRA: Decarbonisation of Cities and Regions with Renewable Energy Sources). She pointed out that science places high hurdles on the recognition of storage performance. The issues of permanence (how long does the CO₂ actually remain stored in the wood?) and additionality (would the building have been constructed of wood anyway?) are of particular focus.

Frank Vasek (Timber Finance) added a practical perspective, contextualizing current standards such as the upcoming EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF), Rainbow, and VERRA. It became clear that while the market is evolving, sound solutions for complex issues like end-of-life building management are still lacking.

Dialogue at the center

In the subsequent discussion with representatives from timber construction companies, the Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), and industry associations, it became clear that the sector must remain vigilant. A key point was the concern about potential reputational damage: If storage capacities are marketed aggressively or without a scientific basis, accusations of greenwashing threaten, which could undermine the credibility of timber construction. Furthermore, the issue of additionality was also discussed in depth: The more timber construction becomes the standard through new laws, regulations, or norms, the fewer projects will be able to demonstrate the mandatory "additionality" within the framework of energy performance certificate trading.

Conclusion and Outlook

Before temporary carbon storage can be marketed, the industry has some work to do in reducing its own emissions in production and logistics. Only an honest approach to a building's net carbon footprint will secure the long-term trust of developers and policymakers. S-WIN will continue to monitor this issue to find well-founded solutions for the Swiss timber industry.

Source: DG CLIMA (2025) Technical Assessment Paper (TAP) for long-term temporary biogenic carbon storage in buildings