Sustainability in Construction: What We Build Today Will Be Our Emissions Legacy

Sustainability in construction is becoming less and less an option, but an essential requirement in projects across the globe.

In order to (literally) build a sustainable future and partake in the Circular Economy, the construction sector must lead the way forward by adopting the latest sustainable technology and construction methodologies, as well as improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings.

But where do we start?

Global Sustainable Development Goals

The “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. It provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.

At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These targets will stimulate action in areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet. They are divided into 5 themes:

1. People [ending poverty and hunger]
2. Planet [protecting the planet from degradation]
3. Prosperity [ensuring social and technological progress occurs in harmony with nature]
4. Peace [fostering peaceful, just, and inclusive societies]
5. Partnership [mobilising the means required to implement this agenda]

The Sustainable Road to 2030

The year 2030 is not too far in the distance, so it’s time to ask if our actions today are laying the right foundation to achieve the SDGs in time.

The Sustainable Development Goals Report of 2019 demonstrates that progress is being made in some critical areas and that some favourable trends are evident. 

Countries are taking concrete actions to protect our planet and a wide range of other actors such as international organisations, businesses, the scientific community, local authorities, and civil society have engaged with the SDGs in a manner that generates great hope for the coming decade.

That said, there are still many areas that need urgent collective attention. The natural environment is deteriorating at an alarming rate and it has become abundantly clear that a much deeper, faster, and more ambitious response is needed to unleash the social and economic transformation needed to achieve the 2030 goals.

Urgent! Climate Change

The report shows that the most urgent area for action is climate change. If we do not cut record-high greenhouse gas emissions now, global warming is projected to reach 1.5°C in the coming decades.

As we are already seeing, the compounded effects will be catastrophic and irreversible. The clock for taking decisive actions on climate change is ticking.

But this challenge is a global problem, requiring global solutions. No country or individual can resolve them in isolation. We will need international cooperation across the entire supply chain.

Opportunities for Sustainability in Construction

While the total final energy consumption of the global buildings sector remained at the same level in 2019 compared to the previous year, CO₂ emissions from the operation of buildings have increased to their highest level yet.

There exist valuable opportunities to accelerate progress by examining interlinkages across goals. For example, tackling climate change requires a shift to clean energy, reversing the trend in forest loss, and changing our production and consumption patterns.

In the construction industry, we see the following possibilities to improve:

GOAL 7 – AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY

The world is making progress towards Goal 7 with encouraging signs that energy is becoming more sustainable and widely available. Energy efficiency continues to improve, and renewable energy is making impressive gains in the electricity sector.

Improving energy efficiency is central to the global goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To boost progress, governments will need to set their energy efficiency ambitions higher.

AT STONECYCLING: The environmental impact of producing bricks depends on the calculation method you use. In preliminary research done by an external agency, a 25% reduction in total environmental impact for our WasteBasedBricks® when production is fully scaled up. We believe that the actual impact will be higher when updated calculation methods start including the upcycling of waste.

GOAL 9 – INDUSTRY, INNOVATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Inclusive and sustainable industrialization, together with innovation and infrastructure, can unleash dynamic and competitive economic forces that generate employment and income. They play a key role in introducing and promoting new technologies, facilitating international trade, and enabling the efficient use of resources.

However, the world still has a long way to go to fully tap this potential. Least Developed Countries (LDCs), in particular, need to accelerate the development of their manufacturing sector if they are to meet the 2030 target and scale up investment in scientific research and innovation.

AT STONECYCLING: Our ambitious vision is a circular world where waste is synonymous with raw material: cities and their buildings are constructed of building materials that are made from 100% waste, are 100% recyclable at the end of their life cycle, and absorb more carbon than it takes to create them. The road ahead might be long, but we keep on taking little steps forward each day, together with all our committed partners across the value chain, to reach our goals!

GOAL 11 – SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

The world is becoming increasingly urbanised. Since 2007, more than half the world’s population has been living in cities, and that share is projected to rise to 60 per cent by 2030.

Cities and metropolitan areas are powerhouses of economic growth—contributing about 60 per cent of global GDP. However, they also account for about 70 per cent of global carbon emissions and over 60 per cent of resource use.

Rapid urbanisation is resulting in a growing number of slum dwellers, inadequate and overburdened infrastructure and services (such as waste collection and water and sanitation systems, roads, and transport), worsening air pollution, and unplanned urban sprawl.

Buildings are the foundation of cities, and green buildings are key to their long-term sustainability.

AT STONECYCLING: We 100% believe in producing locally, with local waste. We are based in Europe, but in 2018 we started with our first project in the United States. If sales continue to grow, we will definitely start working with local producers in the United States (and hopefully other countries as well), but until that time we believe that building reference projects to show the world that building from waste is important, will have a big impact as well.

GOAL 12 – RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION

Economic and social progress over the last century has been accompanied by environmental degradation that is endangering the very systems on which our future development and survival depends.

Globally, we continue to use ever-increasing amounts of natural resources to support our economic activity. The rate of natural resource extraction has actually accelerated since 2000! The efficiency with which such resources are used remains unchanged at the global level, so there is not yet a decoupling of economic growth and natural resource use. It is imperative that we reverse that trend.

On top of that, the generation of waste is mounting. Urgent action is needed to ensure that current material needs do not lead to over-extraction of resources and further degradation of the environment. Policies must be embraced to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste, and mainstream sustainability practices across all sectors of the economy.

The transition towards sustainable and resilient societies will ultimately depend on the responsible management of the planet’s finite natural resources. Well-designed national policy frameworks and instruments are necessary to enable the fundamental shift towards sustainable consumption and production patterns.

AT STONECYCLING: With our WasteBasedBricks® and WasteBasedSlips®, we’re focusing primarily on the use of waste as resources instead of digging up natural and limited resources. To decrease the footprint of the brick even further, we look at more efficient firing curves and alternative fuels.

GOAL 13 – CLIMATE ACTION

2019 was the second warmest year on record and the end of the warmest decade (2010- 2019) ever recorded. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rose to new records in 2019.

Climate change is affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives. Weather patterns are changing, sea levels are rising, and weather events are becoming more extreme.

Although greenhouse gas emissions are projected to drop about 6 per cent in 2020 due to travel bans and economic slowdowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, this improvement is only temporary. Climate change is not on pause. Once the global economy begins to recover from the pandemic, emissions are expected to return to higher levels.

Climate change is the defining issue of our time and the greatest challenge to sustainable development.

The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century below 1.5 degrees Celsius, necessary to avoid catastrophic consequences and irreversible changes. That will require rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land and urban infrastructure, and industrial systems. Greenhouse gas emissions must begin falling by 7.6 % each year starting in 2020.

While countries have taken positive steps by preparing nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and increasing financing to combat climate change, far more ambitious plans and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society are required.

AT STONECYCLING: Most of our products are fired on forest compensated gas. This means that the CO₂ footprint during production is compensated by planting trees. It is not the perfect solution yet and fundamental solutions will have to be found in alternative fuels such as hydro-oxygen. We believe that this is an important and significant step in creating more sustainable building materials for future generations.

When it comes to the remaining SDGs, direct links between them and green buildings may be less explicit, but that’s not to say they don’t exist at all.

Have a look at the following infographics by the World Green Building Council to see a few more examples:

Global Building and Construction Alliance

Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) have increased by almost 50 per cent since 1990. Emissions grew more quickly between 2000 and 2010 than in each of the three previous decades.

Buildings are responsible for over 30 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and are therefore a major contributor to climate change. There is still a lot to be gained in terms of sustainable building.

Where in the past the building industry lacked a collective voice on the world stage at major climate change conferences, in 2015, the “Global Alliance for Building and Construction” was founded. 

With the mission to connect governments, the private sector, and organisations to drive the transformation towards a zero-emission, efficient, and resilient buildings and construction sector, they hope to achieve that in a future-proof world all buildings – old and new – are zero-emission, efficient and resilient.

The Future is Now

Did you know that the equivalent of Paris is added in floor space every 5 days and that of Japan every year until 2060?!

The number of new buildings is likely to grow rapidly in the coming years, especially in Africa and Asia, in fact, half of the buildings standing in 2060 have not yet been built…

This rapid growth will definitely challenge the target of 30% energy intensity improvement in buildings by 2030, to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

But while challenging, there is still time to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals if we act now and act together, taking advantage of the many synergies that exist across the 2030 Agenda.

Customers and clients are already demanding improved environmental impact and more sustainable strategies, and this will only increase in the near future, making sustainable construction not only the “right thing to do”, but even delivering competitive advantage.

Remember: what we build today will be our emissions legacy. The rising energy use from inefficient buildings will impact us all, whether it be through access to affordable energy services, poor air quality, or higher energy bills.

The barriers to a sustainable built environment are not simply technical solutions, but more about how we effectively collaborate, ensuring our efforts are truly aligned to achieve a much greater impact. The buildings and construction sector needs to lock in a new norm of energy efficiency, green materials, and better practice in design and sustainability in construction.

The time is right, and we must act now. Are you in? Share your thoughts and ideas with us or read our FAQ for answers to all your questions.