During 2021-2022 Combient Pure has deep-dived into the topic of low carbon building together with NCC, Stora Enso and Ramboll.
With a team consisting of experts from both NCC Building and Property Development in Finland, Stora Enso Building Solutions and Combient Pure, we have carved out the specific problem-solution fit for lowering especially upfront carbon emissions throughout the construction value chain.
The construction sector is responsible for 39 % of annual GHG emissions globally, having a pivotal role in low carbon transition. Much of the emissions still come from the energy use of buildings, the second largest source of emissions being building materials. Currently, property owners are the most ambitious players in the value chain with a need to decarbonize building portfolios, but they lack coherent information on low carbon options and possible solutions to reach their ambitions.
We are combining the team’s efforts now to promote low carbon building solutions that will help construction value chain actors to make low carbon decisions. 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.
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." - 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.
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." - Kari Onniselkä, Head of NCC Building Finland