Back in 2023, Denmark was the first country to legislate for whole life carbon assessments in their built environment. In 2025, these requirements were extended to cover almost all new buildings, alongside a reduction in the average carbon limit from 12 to 7.1 kgCO₂e/m²/year. The limits are proposed to become progressively more stringent, with reductions every two years.
ASBP held a popular webinar last year on 1st July 2025 with the team behind the Danish Reduction Roadmap, which played a pivotal role in garnering support from industry and advocating for WLC legislation. Initiated in 2022 by architectural firms CEBRA and EFFEKT, along with consulting engineers Artelia, the Reduction Roadmap was developed as a science-based framework to translate global climate targets into actionable, industry-specific carbon reduction goals. (You can watch the 2025 Reduction Roadmap webinar here.)
The 2026 update will re-unite us with our Danish colleague Sinus Lynge from EFFEKT. In addition, we are very grateful to be joined by Professor Harpa Birgisdottir, BUILD (Aalborg university). She assisted the government to agree the LCA framework, which was later introduced into legislation. She is also a powerful voice in the green transition in Denmark.
The webinar will provide some insight into how the introduction of WLC legislation has impacted the Danish development pipeline. Has it affected overall planning permission numbers? Has it affected the cost of applications? How has the process of authenticating WLC calculations been working? What is the general industry feedback and what are the next targets and when will they be implemented?
We will also be joined by Will Arnold on a panel session with our Danish colleagues to discuss how we might encapsulate the learning from their WLC journey and help convince the UK government that we are ready to adopt something similar here, perhaps through the Net Carbon Zero Building Standard
The initiative garnered support from over 630 organisations, including architectural firms, municipalities, research institutes, and NGOs. Find out more at reductionroadmap.dk.
Key details
- Date: Tuesday 17th November 2026
- Time: 12:30-14:00
- Location: Online (Zoom)
- Free for ASBP members, £20+VAT for members of partner organisations*, £30+VAT general admission
Save the Date – bookings open soon
*Partner organisations include: Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN), AECB – Association for Environment Conscious Building, British Woodworking Federation, CIBSE, The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), CIRIA, Fit for the Future Network, Finishes and Interiors Sector, Good Homes Alliance, Institute of Demolition Engineers, Interior Design Declares – UK, National Federation of Demolition Contractors, natureplus, Passivhaus Trust, SuperHomes, Sustainable Traditional Building Alliance, The Green Register, Timber Development UK and Woodknowledge Wales.
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