As a significant consumer of raw materials and energy, as well as a user of land, the construction industry has major impacts on nature. However, with systematic changes along the entire construction value chain, it is possible to reform the industry so that it produces more benefits for nature than harm.
A third of nature threatens to be destroyed by 2050. Mass extinction is already underway and a million species are in danger of disappearing. Loss of nature has become a systemic risk for society as a whole, including business life.
According to the International Biodiversity Convention, the state of nature must get back on track by 2030. Finland has also signed the agreement. We only have a few years left to change the operating models of business life and the rest of society from ones that weaken nature to ones that support nature.
The construction industry has ways to stop natural loss
Renewing the operating models of the construction industry has a great impact. The industry is the fifth largest in terms of land use and the sixth largest in nature loss in Finland. It uses more than half of the raw materials consumed in Finland and causes half of our deforestation. The industry's actions have a large or fairly large impact on more than a fifth of our threatened habitats.
Mere restoration and nature protection do not lead to the fulfillment of Finland's and the EU's biodiversity goals. Numerous companies in the construction industry are already developing concrete solutions that can support and revive nature also in the already built environment. There are many ways.
Using circular economy methods, virgin materials are replaced by side and waste streams. It is possible to introduce different types of habitats into a built environment that has been depleted of species, and thereby more species. Abundant rains can be channeled into nature's cycle and produce solutions for drought. Biochar has started to be used in green areas, in storm water treatment, soil improvement and cleaning of soil and waterways.
Building while taking nature into account
The built environment plays a crucial role in combating climate change and nature loss. The construction industry is looking for ways to reduce the harm caused by its operations and increase the benefits.
Read examples of practical actionsThe road map describes the change needs in the construction value chain
In the autumn of 2023, Rakennusteollisuus RT prepared a biodiversity road map for the construction industry to show the direction for the industry's nature-positive transition. Nature positivity means not only avoiding harm caused to nature, but also supporting and revitalizing nature. According to the roadmap's vision, the industry must be widely involved in the changes so that nature is visibly and measurably recovering in 2030.
Innovations are needed along the entire construction value chain. Companies must take the effects of nature into their decision-making and business operations. They must be able to create more innovative solutions that improve local nature values compared to the starting situation. In order for the solutions to be widely used, the operating environment must also change. The road map identifies concrete actions also for legislators, planners, financiers, customers and related industries, as well as metrics for monitoring a nature-positive transition.
- Biodiversity roadmap for the construction industry (pdf)
- Biodiversity Roadmap (pdf)
- Information about the road map with attachments (pdf)
