New study highlights timber wall panel’s eco-friendly impact.

UK offsite frame manufacturer Donaldson Timber Systems (DTS) has made history by becoming the first timber frame manufacturer to offer a published, third-party accredited environmental product declaration (EPD) for its product, showcasing its sustainability credentials.

The DTS Alpha system, part of the company’s efforts to cover its entire product range, is the first off-site assembled timber frame wall panel in the UK to provide an approved EPD. The EPD transparently communicates the environmental performance of the product over its lifetime, highlighting the benefits of building with timber. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) of Alpha is carbon positive, at -1.53kg CO2e, meaning that 1.53kg of carbon is stored in every m2 of Alpha external wall. For a standard four-bedroom detached home built using Alpha, 250kg of carbon is stored in the timber frame elements of the external walls alone, excluding the timber floors and roof trusses.

This product life-cycle assessment enables carbon emission reduction by facilitating accurate comparison of the impacts of different materials and products, empowering customers to choose the most sustainable option. In contrast to the Alpha wall panel, the EPD by the Concrete Block Association (CBA) shows that the cradle-to-grave GWP impact of 1m2 of aggregate concrete blocks is 10.6 kg CO2e. Therefore, for the same standard four-bedroom detached home, 4000kg of carbon is released into the atmosphere.

Based on these findings, if the UK were to construct the targeted 300,000 homes per year using timber frame instead of concrete, it could lead to an annual reduction of over one million metric tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to the fossil fuel-generated electricity required to power 500,000 homes for a year.

The EPD, valid for five years, is established on current available and published data for end-of-life assumptions. With anticipated advancements in the industry over the next five years, coupled with enhanced building recycling processes and ongoing DTS investments such as the recent PV panel installation at the Witney factory, performance is expected to improve even further in the next review.

Alpha represents the first of 16 base EPDs being developed by DTS, encompassing the full product range of floor, wall, and roof systems. Open Panel timber frame, currently the most prevalent timber frame build system in the UK, provides the structural inner leaf walls for buildings using a timber studwork factory formed into panels with structural sheathing and exterior breather membrane.

The DTS Alpha system offers a cost-effective solution, presenting an efficient and effective build method. having been utilized in the UK for 50 years, fully tested and technically supported, this build system is frequently chosen by clients for their initial project utilizing an offsite construction approach.

John Smith, technical director at Donaldson Timber Systems, emphasised the necessity of measuring and reducing the whole-life carbon of buildings to achieve the UK’s target of being zero-carbon by 2050. He highlighted the significance of EPDs in this endeavour and the potential risk of new buildings post-2026 not achieving true zero carbon if embodied carbon is not addressed.

Alex Goodfellow, CEO of Donaldson Offsite, echoed the sentiment, championing offsite timber frame construction as a sustainable building practice that aligns with net zero targets. He expressed pride in leading the industry with verified EPDs and ongoing efforts to enhance the benefits shown in future EPD reviews.

As part of the Donaldson Group’s Offsite division, DTS is committed to sustainability, innovation, and efficiency. With unparalleled expertise and experience in offsite construction, DTS continues to introduce new commercial and operational innovations to the market.