In response to Finland's goal of carbon neutrality, Rakennusteollisuus RT makes the Low-carbon construction industry 2035 roadmap in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment and its various stakeholders. The work explores ways to effectively reduce emissions in the built environment.
The goal of the road map work is to identify the measures and key uncertainties that enable low carbon, and to set timetabled interim goals for the various players in the construction industry.
In addition to the actual emission reduction measures, the timetable for preparing the road map is also demanding: the first results should be ready already in mid-2020. The work is carried out by Gaia Consulting Oy.
The focus of the review is the emissions of the construction phase and building materials, which account for a quarter of the building's carbon footprint. The work also takes into account the long life cycle of buildings as a whole, starting from land use and zoning all the way to use, maintenance and demolition. These cause most of the emissions.
"Mitigating climate change, preparing for its effects and protecting biodiversity are major challenges, but also opportunities for the real estate and construction sector. More than a third of Finland's carbon footprint is caused by buildings and construction, and 22 percent by movement and tourism. It is important for us to increase our understanding of what we can realistically do to reduce emissions and what it requires", CEO of Rakennusteollisuus RT Aleksi Randell says.
"Since the emissions of the built environment are greatly affected by other parts of the value chain in addition to the actual building and infrastructure construction, the work requires the cooperation and commitment of all actors to the measures," says Randell.
The road map work should also take into account sector connectivity, of which good examples from the point of view of the real estate and construction sector are energy production and transport and logistics. In the road map of the construction industry, by far the most significant area is improving the energy efficiency of the existing building stock and transitioning to low-emission forms of energy as quickly as possible. 65 percent of the emissions in buildings come from energy consumption during use.
The Nordic countries as a global pioneer in low-carbon construction
In addition to the construction industry, key industry associations and a few other industry associations draw up industry-specific low-carbon roadmaps based on the government program. They will be an essential part when the government starts preparing a medium-term climate plan and a new climate and energy strategy next year.
According to the Ministry of Labor and Economic Affairs, which coordinates the entire set of roadmaps, the roadmap work offers legislators a completely new perspective as a basis for policy-making. In addition to laws, the work has effects on, for example, industry and research funding decisions.
Also the Minister of Environment and Climate Krista Mikkonen sees a new type of cooperation with Rakennusteollisuus RT ry as a good opportunity to promote low-carbon and sustainable construction.
"We need the participation of the whole society in order for Finland to be carbon neutral in 2035. The share of buildings and construction in emissions is significant, and therefore it is very important that the construction industry is committed to common goals. I look forward to the views of the industry on what are the most effective and fastest ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. The work is perfectly in line with the fact that the Nordic countries aim together to become a global pioneer in low-carbon construction, as agreed in the Reykjavik declaration in October."
The survey of the construction industry will also examine how the still unfinished comprehensive reform of the Land Use and Building Act, as well as the related construction life cycle perspective and low carbon, will be connected to this broader future road map work.
Interim report on construction industry road map work 28 January 01 (pdf)
More information
Juha Luhanka, director, renewable industry, tel. 050 414 0084
Pekka Vuorinen, director of environment and energy, tel. 050 469 2021
Merja Vuoripuro, director of communications, tel. 040 587 2642
e-mails firstname.lastname@rakennusteollisuus.fi