Understanding Woodknowledge Wales’ work to support the housing sector in reducing embodied carbon through the development and rollout of the Early Stage Embodied Carbon Tool (ESECT).
Summary
The Home-Grown Homes Project (2018 to 2026) has shown how a strong local timber supply chain can deliver genuinely low-carbon social housing while advancing Welsh Government priorities in decarbonisation, affordable housing, and forestry. This is the Phase Two report.
Phase One (2018–2021) built essential foundations through research, tools and guidance to promote home-grown timber in high-performance social housing. Phase Two (2023–2026) focused on implementation, directly supporting the development and launch of Wales’ first Timber Industrial Strategy. Phase Two’s outputs include reports positioning timber as a scalable Greenhouse Gas Removal solution, the ESECT embodied carbon decision tool, supply chain analysis, skills programmes, and practical recommendations for circular economy practices and woodland development.
The Project has laid robust foundations and delivered practical tools and evidence that are already shaping policy and industry practice. It positions Wales to become a leader in sustainable timber construction, delivering lasting environmental, social, and economic benefits through continued collaboration.
