Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Metsä Wood‘s Kerto® LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) has a smaller carbon footprint than traditional building materials like steel-reinforced concrete, according to a recent investigation by AFRY Management Consulting. The use of Kerto LVL, a wood-based product, in structural components like walls and floors may greatly reduce emissions from fossil fuels, as this comprehensive comparison study shows.
With an emphasis on key structural components like load-bearing walls and floors, the paper meticulously contrasts Kerto LVL’s carbon footprint with that of traditional building materials. The study provides a clearer picture of the climate benefits of Kerto LVL as a principal building material by removing insulation and other non-structural components. The results of the study highlight how, in comparison to steel-reinforced concrete, Kerto LVL’s material efficiency can result in a significant decrease in environmental impact. The results were critically reviewed by two respected research organizations, RISE and Ramboll, which validated the findings and gave the study’s conclusions more legitimacy.
The study’s notable discovery is that floor structures that use Kerto LVL significantly lessen their impact on the climate. According to the comparison, steel-reinforced concrete floors have a 105 kg CO2e per square meter fossil climate impact. On the other hand, Kerto LVL flooring, which uses Metsä Wood’s Kerto-Ripa technology, produces only 29 kg CO2e per square meter—a reduction of more than 70%. Given that a Kerto LVL floor uses only 34 kilograms of material per square meter as opposed to 675 kg for steel-reinforced concrete, this represents a significant reduction in carbon emissions. With a material usage reduction of over 90%, Kerto LVL is a great choice for construction projects that care about the environment.
Kerto LVL hybrid wall structures save more than 80% of the material used
Kerto LVL has advantages for wall applications as well. The findings are just as strong when contrasting the fossil climate impact of conventional concrete sandwich elements with hybrid wall elements that use Kerto LVL. The study indicated that a wall employing Kerto LVL had a fossil climate impact of 52 kg CO2e per square meter for a typical first-floor wall in an eight-story building, compared to 68 kg CO2e per square meter for a traditional steel-reinforced concrete wall. Throughout the materials’ lives, this translates into a 20% reduction in the climate effect.
Furthermore, compared to steel-reinforced concrete, Kerto LVL walls exhibit an almost 80% reduction in material usage, with 60 kg of material used per square meter as opposed to 463 kg for concrete. This serves as more evidence that Kerto LVL significantly lowers the quantity of raw materials required for construction while also reducing emissions.
The significance of material decisions
These results highlight how important material selections are in lowering a building’s carbon footprint. Early in the building process, sustainability managers like Rosa Zabihian of Metsä Wood emphasize the value of making well-informed design and material choices. Significant environmental benefits, such as decreased carbon emissions and material waste, can result from such actions. The climate benefits of Kerto LVL give engineers, architects, and construction professionals important opportunities to find ways to reduce emissions in projects. nicely addition to being good for the environment, this strategy fits nicely with worldwide building industry trends toward sustainability.
Significant insights from the research
With significant climate benefits that can aid in achieving global environmental goals, Kerto LVL offers a competitive substitute for conventional materials as the building industry continues to embrace sustainability. Metsä Wood’s Kerto LVL product is evidence of how creative wood-based solutions may lower the carbon footprint in the building sector. By using less material and emitting fewer emissions than steel-reinforced concrete, Kerto LVL is leading the way in environmentally and financially responsible building techniques.
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Tags: building material sustainability, carbon emissions, carbon footprint, concrete alternatives, eco-friendly construction, europe, Finland, fossil climate impact, Green Building Solutions, hybrid wall structure, Kerto LVL, Kerto LVL benefits, Kerto LVL climate impact, Kerto-Ripa technology, low-emission building materials, material efficiency, Metsä Wood, sustainable construction, sustainable floors, sweden
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