Carbon Footprint Policy Accelerator

Carbon Footprint Policy Accelerator: Learning about Buy Clean and Whole Life Carbon Policies for Buildings

07november

Join us at this first international conference on November 7-8th in Potsdam, Germany to learn more about carbon footprint policies. Here you can experience inputs from key actors involved with the Buy Clean movement in the USA (public procurement of building products) and mandatory maximum carbon threshold standard setting for buildings in Denmark and the Netherlands. You can also experience interactive sessions on the limitations and potentials of these approaches and the transfer of lessons learnt.

Carbon footprint policy accelerator conference

The construction industry needs to decarbonise. The built environment has become a testing ground for path-breaking policies as maximum carbon footprint procurement specifications for building products and whole life carbon thresholds for buildings. Such policies could create lead markets for radical low carbon innovation.

The Research Institute for Sustainability – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS), the University College London Institute for Sustainable Resources (UCL ISR), the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (Global ABC) and the One Planet Network invite you to this first conference on Carbon Footprint Policy Accelerator.

Here, you can learn more about the recent emergence of carbon footprint policies. A particular focus is on the potential for coordinating efforts across cities, regions, countries and the public-private divide to rapidly scale up lead markets for low carbon products, buildings and infrastructures.

On October 8th, at 10.00-10.45, you can hear Kai Kanafani and Head of Secretariat, Helle Redder Momsen’s presentation on how Denmark has set limits for carbon emission from new buildings in Denmark. the Nordics. They will also hint at what the plans for the near future are in Denmark and other Nordic countries.

Read more and sign up for physical or online participation for the Carbon footprint policy accelerator here

Programme:

November 7th 

09.00-09.30: Welcome Coffee

09.30-09.40: Welcome

Mark Lawrence, RIFS

Nino Jordan, RIFS and University College London Institute for Sustainable Resources (UCL ISR)

Julia Vismann, moderator and editor (radio eins, inforadio, Deutschlandfunk)

09.40-09.45: Focus and structure of the conference 

Nino Jordan, RIFS and UCL ISR

09.45-10.15: Keynote - Why the dominant approaches so far have failed to decarbonise industry and why carbon footprint policies are necessary

Michael Grubb, UCL ISR 

10.15-11.00: Presentations 

Part I: The Buy Clean movement in the USA 

Mark Sippola, California Air Resources Board
Charlie Martin, BlueGreen Alliance

11.00-11.15: Q&A w. Julia Vismann 

11.15-11.30: Coffee Break 

11.30-12.15: Panel discussion 

Part II: Using green procurement coordination across countries and between public and private sectors to create lead markets for low/zero carbon products

Nancy Gillis, First Movers Coalition
Rainer Quitzow, RIFS and TU Berlin
Fiona Skinner, UN Industrial Development
Organization/Clean Energy Ministerial Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative
Kay Tor, UK Infrastructure and Projects Authority 

12.15-12.30: Q&A w. Julia Vismann 

12.30-13.30: Lunch 

13.30-14.15: Group work 

Part III: How to increase ambition and scale and ensure international equity 

14.15-14.30: Coffee break 

14.30-15.15: Presentation of group work results & synthesis discussion in plenary 

15.15-15.30: Coffee break 

15.30-16.15: Group work

Part IV: How can public procurement initiatives and regulatory carbon footprint standards be better aligned across countries, subnational actors and private initiatives? 

16.15-16.30: Coffee break 

16.30-17.15: Presentation of group work results & synthesis discussion in plenary

17.15-17.30: Summary & outlook 

Nino Jordan & Julia Vismann 

18.30: Dinner 

November 8th

09.00-09.30: Welcome Coffee

09.30-09.45: Part I: Wrap up of yesterday’s session and connection to today

Nino Jordan & Julia Vismann

09.45-10.00: Part II: Launch of Global review of Whole Life Carbon Assessments in the Built Environment

N.N., UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

10.00-10.45: Presentations 

Part III: Whole life cycle carbon standards: the Danish experience

Kai Kanafani, Aalborg University
Helle Redder Momsen, Nordic Sustainable Construction, Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing

10.45-11.00: Q&A w. Julia Vismann 

11.00-11.15: Coffee break 

11.15-12.00: Presentations 

Part IV: The Dutch experience 

Jan-Willem Groot, Dutch Environmental Database

12.00-12.15: Q&A w. Julia Vismann 

12.15-13.15: Lunch 

13.15-14.00: Group work: Part V: Promises and limitations of the Danish and Dutch approaches

14.00-14.15: Coffee break 

14.15-15.00: Presentation of group work results & synthesis discussion in plenary

15.00-15.30: Coffee break 

15.30-16.15: Presentations

Part VI: How to best advance learning on carbon footprint policies?

Melanie Jans-Singh, GlobalABC Whole Life Cycle Coalition for policy-making in the built environment
Nino Jordan, Carbon Footprint Policy Accelerator

16.15-16.30: Coffee break 

16.30-17.00: Panel discussion 

Part VII: What have we learnt? What are the challenges for policy makers and industry in the adoption of mandatory whole-life/embodied carbon standards for buildings?

Anna Braune, German Sustainable Building Council
Cécile Dap, Low Carbon Building Initiative
Melanie Jans-Singh, UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Mona Abdulghani Naji Mohammed, UNEP

17.00-17.15: Conclusion and farewell

Julia Vismann and Nino Jordan  

Time and place:

Time: Tuesday, November 7th, 2023, 9.00-17.30 CET
Wednesday, November 8th,  2023, 9.00-17.00 CET

Place: Research Institute for Sustainabilty - Helmholtz Centre Potsdam
Villa (Ballroom)
Berliner Straße 130, D-14467 Potsdam