Breakthrough Initiatives

A breakthrough initiative (BI) is an on-going project capable of unlocking the full climate potential of forests and forest products. We use Breakthrough Initiatives to understand the broader challenges and opportunities, and how to overcome these. We are building a BI portfolio across geographies, sectors, stakeholders, and project types, so we can develop a diverse and holistic set of learnings. These learnings will be used to develop global blueprints, catalyzing others to act.

Glasgow City Region: developing a regional strategy for a forest economy. Learn more.

Bauhuette 4.0: creating a 3S-based "wood-to-city value chain in Berlin for affordable housing in wood. Learn more.

Barcelona Social Tower: supporting the development of an innovative timber social housing tower. Learn more.

Easy Housing, Uganda: developing a CSFE and the necessary enabling environment for affordable pre-fabricated timber housing. Learn more.

Gabon Marina Tower: using flagship mass timber building to pilot a climate smart forest economy in Gabon. Learn more.

Rockstar Architects: leveraging the power of young Kenyan leaders to break the cycle skepticism around wood in construction in SSA. Learn more.

East Africa: unlocking the 3S economy, building market demand and sustainable supply. Learn more.

Stora Enso "Spring" HQ: creating a climate smart flagship to inspire others. Learn more.

AKAH, India: creating climate-resilient community housing, unlocking India's nascent industry and stimulating community economics through reforestation. Learn more.

New Zealand: activating a sustainable and climate-smart forest-to-build approach, integrating indigenous Māori wisdom. Learn more.

Pacific NW: turbocharging the development of a CSFE, creating a level playing the field for tribal and rural communities. Learn more.

CASSA, Guatemala: creating DIY, sustainable bamboo housing for climate refugees. Learn more.

Bhutan: supporting a national-level strategy and pilot project to unlock a CSFE across the country. Learn more.

Learning from our Breakthrough Initiatives

How can an ambitious local authority enable a climate smart forest economy?

Learning from Glasgow City Region to create a public-private coalition to kickstart a climate smart forest economy across the region

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How can we build offices of the future with timber?

Learning from Stora Enso's "Spring" headquarters to create a blueprint for sustainable, climate smart offices

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How can community forestry kickstart a climate smart forest economy?

Learning from Fairventures Social Forestry to understand how to build a value chain from community forestry as a major climate solution

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Can communities use bamboo to create climate smart, affordable housing?

Learning from CASSA to understand how to leverage the power of communities to unlock bamboo's climate impact

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How can innovative timber construction promote sustainable development?

Learning from Bauhutte 4.0 to create a cluster of innovative timber construction to transform the urban environment

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Can mass timber help us rethink social housing to create cities of the future?

Learning from Barcelona's Social Housing Tower to understand how to create climate smart, high quality living environments

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Can climate smart forest economies empower local communities?

Learning from AKAH, India to work with local communities to create climate smart forest economies through hybrid housing

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A Systems Analysis of our BIs

Looking across our portfolio of breakthrough initiatives, we've mapped the barriers and enablers faced by our initiatives, reflecting on the lessons learnt. We have summarized the 10 most frequent enablers and barriers that the BIs face in creating sustainable forest-timber-construction value chains, across a range of markets. Read our summary report here to learn more.

Read our Summary Here