A new certification gives the construction sector a credible, independently verified way to measure and reward the long-term carbon stored in the built environment- turning an invisible climate contribution into a reportable, commercially actionable asset.

Grown in Britain today announces the launch of the Biogenic Stored Carbon Quotient (BSCQ), the UK’s first certification scheme to quantify and independently verify the long-term carbon stored in buildings using timber and other biogenic materials.

The scheme has been developed in direct response to the UK Government’s Timber in Construction Roadmap and their Timber Industrial Strategy, in partnership with Timber Development UK, Bangor University, the Forestry Commission, Welsh Government, Scottish Forestry and industry leaders.

The Climate Case for Action

The construction sector is responsible for 39% of global emissions. The infrastructure the world needs to build between now and 2050 is equivalent to everything built since 1850. And if we continue using traditional high-carbon materials with a high carbon footprint, that alone will consume most of the remaining carbon budget for keeping global temperature increases below 1.5°C.

Nature has already provided a solution. Plants and trees absorb CO₂ as they grow, and when we build with them, that carbon remains locked out of the atmosphere for the lifetime of the building. Every project that specifies timber or other biogenic materials is already storing carbon. But until now, that contribution has been invisible: absent from tenders, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reports, corporate accounts and conversations with shareholders and clients. BSCQ changes that.

“The climate emergency demands that we build differently – and the construction sector is already rising to that challenge. But without the tools to measure and verify what’s being achieved, that progress remains unaccounted for.  BSCQ gives the sector a credible, independently verified way to demonstrate the climate contribution of its material choices, and to prepare for a future where that contribution carries real commercial and policy value.” Dougal Driver, CEO, Grown in Britain

What Biogenic Stored Carbon Quotient (BSCQ) Delivers

BSCQ provides construction projects with a certified, publicly registered record of the biogenic carbon stored in their buildings, covering all biogenic materials where sufficient data is available, including timber, sheep’s wool, straw and hemp.

For developers, contractors and public bodies, BSCQ delivers four things that current carbon assessment frameworks cannot:

• An independently verified stored carbon figure from a third party* that sits alongside embodied carbon data in project reporting and corporate accounts.
• An auditable basis for ESG reporting, credible verification that can be put in front of a board, an investor or a procurement panel with confidence.
• Positioning for potential carbon credit mechanisms. Certified stored carbon can be prepared for future monetisation on the voluntary carbon market.
• A verified record that supports competitive tendering including requirements now appearing in Department for Education contractor frameworks.

” This scheme will clearly demonstrate the positive environmental impact of projects like Gwynfaen. The biobased material choices not only provide healthy places for people to live but act as a long term carbon store for decades to come.”   Justyna Wilkinson, Associate Architect at Stride Treglown

The Role of Grown in Britain (GiB) Certified Timber

Whilst both imported and homegrown timber are included in the scheme, each BSCQ-certified project must include an element of GiB-certified timber, reflecting the ambition of the UK and the devolved Government’s ambition, to increase the use of homegrown timber in construction.

GiB-certified timber has a demonstrably lower carbon footprint than imported equivalents, as evidenced by Timber Development UK’s independently verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) data. Grown in Britain is the only certification scheme to verify the legality, sustainability and provenance of UK timber, and holds Category A status under the UK Government’s Timber Procurement Policy.

The UK is currently the second largest net importer of timber products in the world, and approximately 40% of UK woodlands are under-managed. Greater demand for GiB-certified timber – driven by BSCQ – creates a direct incentive to bring more woodland into active, sustainable management, with benefits for biodiversity, productivity, employment and long-term carbon sequestration.

“This certification scheme is a game-changer. It enables the construction sector to move beyond emissions reduction and embrace carbon storage as a strategic climate solution. Timber buildings are not just low-carbon—they store carbon in the long term. And now, we can prove it.” Matthew Riddiford, Carbon Plantations

*Independent auditing and certification of BSCQ are carried out by Supply Chain Insites Ltd. whose deep expertise and innovative strategies, are driving change in certification globally. Their skills  and experience will ensure robust compliance for BSCQ ensuring its lasting impact.

Full details of the BSCQ scheme, including the standard and supporting documentation, are available here.

The full press release is here.