NCC, Stora Enso and Combient Pure will start a collaboration in Finland to make it easier for developers to choose low-carbon construction solutions. The collaboration will bring forward the emission reduction effects of low-carbon building materials and aims to develop construction solutions that minimize emissions from new buildings.
The construction sector is responsible for a significant amount of global CO2 emissions. Much of them still come from the energy use of buildings, the second largest source of emissions being building materials. Wood construction is one means to considerably reduce emissions from construction.
A growing forest sequesters carbon from the atmosphere and wood stores carbon dioxide throughout their lifetime. This means that a wooden building stores carbon. By using wooden material for construction, CO2 emissions can be reduced considerably. Wood is also a great match for other building materials, says Johanna Pirinen, Senior Vice President, Sustainability, Stora Enso's Wood Products Division.
During the preparation phase of the collaboration the interviewed property owners and investors expressed a need for more data regarding the carbon footprint of various construction solutions in construction projects. To make low-carbon choices, both ready-made solutions and comprehensive information on their emission impacts are needed. The emission impacts need to be measured for both the construction phase and for the whole building life cycle.
Impact through value chain collaboration
The collaboration between NCC in Finland and Stora Enso will promote value chain thinking in the construction industry: the construction company and the material supplier work closely together to learn from each other and to enable property developers to make data-based low-carbon material choices.
There is a clear demand in the construction industry for thinking along the entire value chain. Know-how in low-carbon construction is becoming increasingly important and requires collaboration between all ecosystem stakeholders. Wood construction is one route. This is an avenue we want to explore to be able to offer our customers clearer alternatives, says Kari Onniselkä, Head of NCC Building Finland.
The cooperation between NCC and Stora Enso is led by Combient Pure, which is part of the Combient corporate cooperation network. Combient is a consortium of 32 large Finnish and Swedish companies, with the purpose to promote the business development of its member companies. NCC and Stora Enso are members of the Combient network. Combient Pure leads multi-company projects that develop low-carbon value chains.
It is great to bring large construction industry players like NCC and Stora Enso together to take forward the emission reduction work in construction. With this type of collaboration, we can accelerate the necessary development. To reach high impact, we will carry out the project in close cooperation with property owners, and utilize the lessons learned from the collaboration in other NCC and Stora Enso market areas, says Marika Määttä, Head of Combient Pure.
For more information please contact:
Marika Määttä, Head of Combient Pure, p. 040 758 2804, marika.maatta@combient.com
