Limit values for the carbon footprint of new buildings will be introduced from the beginning of next year. They are one way to guide the construction of increasingly low-emission buildings. The construction industry is also becoming less carbon-intensive on market terms, as climate and environmental impacts are increasingly taken into account in both the production of materials and construction site operations.
The first limit values for greenhouse gas emissions from new buildings will come into force at the beginning of 2026 and are still quite moderate. However, the limit values will become stricter as early as 2028. They will be set for each type of building, for example, for apartment buildings and office buildings. There will be no limit values for single-family homes or renovations.
In addition to limit values, the low-carbon construction sector is guided by many other national and EU-level policy measures. Essential among these are, for example, the EU emissions trading, energy efficiency regulations for buildings, the Construction Products Regulation, and the National Construction Act.
Among the economic instruments, the EU taxonomy, which is linked to sustainable financing and sets criteria for various environmental objectives, has emerged as a significant one. It is part of the framework for corporate sustainability reporting and at the same time a well-functioning indicator of companies' voluntary emission reduction efforts.
"We need encouraging regulation and all actors in the real estate and construction sector to accelerate emission reduction work. Regulation must be based on information and be material and technology neutral", Chairman of the Board of the Finnish Construction Industry Federation, CEO of Rudus Oy Mikko Vasama says.
"Clients, led by the public sector, can enable the utilization of low-carbon products and services. Building materials manufacturers and construction companies are developing new solutions and cutting emissions from their own operations. Property owners, in turn, must take care of the maintenance and energy efficiency of buildings," Vasama describes.
Greenhouse gas emissions from construction activities only a small part of emissions from the built environment
The built environment accounts for approximately 30 percent of Finland's greenhouse gas emissions. The lion's share of this is energy consumption and emissions during the use phase of buildings.
According to the low-carbon roadmap updated by the Finnish Construction Industry Association (RT) in 2024, the total emissions of the built environment were approximately 14,5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. The majority, 9,3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, came from energy consumption during use, which is of the same order of magnitude as the total emissions from traffic.
Emissions had decreased by 15 percent since the previous calculation four years earlier, thanks to the decarbonization of electricity and district heating production. This trend has continued as the transition away from fossil energy sources and towards green forms of energy production has been much faster than previously anticipated.
Emissions from actual construction activities in building and infrastructure construction were 3,1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Two-thirds of these emissions came from the manufacture of construction products and the rest from transportation and construction site activities.
The data is based on the latest comprehensive statistics available for 2021. The calculation includes materials and site activities from construction projects completed in that year, as well as emissions from the use of the existing built environment. The volume of construction was high in that year, which is why the carbon footprint of construction activities was also larger than usual.
"It is good to note that even during the construction boom, the construction phase itself accounted for only 6,5 percent of Finland's total emissions. One often hears people talking misleadingly about construction emissions when referring to emissions from the entire built environment," says Mikko Vasama.
Concrete's specific emissions are on the same level as potatoes
The largest single source of emissions in the production of building materials is cement production. According to statistics verified in emissions trading, the only Finnish cement manufacturer, Finnsementti Oy, produced just under 2021 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1, or 2 percent of Finland's total emissions. In 2024, the figure was only 0,5 million tonnes, which was due not only to the lower volume of construction and thus cement production, but also to systematic emission reduction work. The emission reductions achieved are at the top level in European cement production.
For comparison, the largest single industrial plant-specific emission source was SSAB's Raahe steel plant, which emitted approximately 2021 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 4,2 and approximately 2024 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 3,6.
"Cement production consumes a lot of energy, which is why its emissions can be effectively reduced by using more energy-efficient equipment and biofuels and recycled fuels. Low-carbon concrete, in turn, uses low-carbon cements and admixtures," Vasama states.
He reminds us that low-carbon solutions are now available for all key building materials, concrete, steel and wood.
"The specific emissions of even ordinary concrete are not particularly high, but approximately the same level per kilogram as, say, potatoes and significantly lower than, for example, cheese. The significant impact of cement and concrete on emissions arises from scale. They are used in such huge quantities in both building and infrastructure construction worldwide."
Sustainable choices ensure the long-term sustainability of the built environment while also being low-carbon.
In addition to low-carbon materials, construction emissions can be reduced by using recycled materials and reusing construction products and structures. Measures also include emission-free transportation, electrification of machinery and equipment, and management of aggregates and soil in infrastructure construction.
A very effective way to reduce both emissions and environmental impacts is to extend the life cycle of buildings and structures. Vasama believes that the 50-year calculated lifespan used in the carbon footprint limit values for buildings is too short. It would be wiser to aim for, for example, a hundred years.
"Future limit values may even lead to compromising on quality and durability if we only look at emissions during the construction phase and the short-term use phase. For example, many solutions that improve long-term durability or sound insulation mean using more materials and thus generating more emissions. Solutions that do not stand the test of time can, in turn, generate many times more emissions over the decades due to the increased need for repairs and a short service life," Vasama sums up.
Text: Pekka Vuorinen/Merja Vuoripuro