Written question asked by Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour) on Wednesday, 26 January 2022, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 February 2022. It was answered by Lord Greenhalgh (Conservative) on Wednesday, 9 February 2022 on behalf of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Buildings: Insulation

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) whether, and (2) to what degree, they have quantified what proportion of an entire building’s embodied carbon can be attributed to nature-based insulation materials.

Answer: Embodied carbon can account for a significant proportion of the total carbon emissions over the lifetime of a building, and reducing the carbon emitted during the construction of homes and buildings is an important part of our net zero transition. This particular aspect has not been quantified, but my Department is actively considering what can be done to reduce embodied carbon in buildings, and as part of that will be exploring a maximum level for new builds in the future.

Secondary information