We are honored to have Justin Travlos, Head of Responsible Investments at AXA IM Alts, Lena Hök, Executive Vice President of Sustainability and Innovation at Skanska Group, and Benoit Bazin, CEO of Saint-Gobain, as our guests. They shed light on the evolution from vision to action, detailing how their organizations are embodying sustainability commitments through cross-sector partnerships and knowledge sharing. 

However, the sector has a carbon emissions problem. It is the only major European economic sector in which carbon emissions have increased since 1990, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA). Even with reduction measures currently planned by EU member states, domestic transport emissions won’t drop below 1990 levels until 2029.

In our globalized economy, the need for safe, fast and reliable transportation isn’t going away, so decarbonization efforts must focus on creating more sustainable, energy-saving methods of mobility. Read the article where industry leaders working on clean transportation initiatives offer a glimpse into specific solutions to transportation emissions.

The transportation sector is one of the biggest contributors to global carbon emissions. But in our globalized economy, the need for safe, fast and reliable transportation isn’t going away.

We all share a basic need for homes, workplaces and the infrastructure that makes up our communities. A clean, safe and well-planned built environment allows us to lead meaningful lives and to reach our full potential.

Energy is one of the hottest questions as we consider ways to ensure a sustainable future. A clean energy transition is well underway in many countries, with electrification lowering carbon emissions in transport systems as well as construction and development projects. Yet, major challenges remain. How can the built environment play a positive role here? 

Thankfully, although many important technological innovations are in the pipeline, the truth is that much of the technology we need to reduce buildings’ carbon emissions already exists. By using energy more efficiently with existing tools and resources, we can drastically reduce urban energy consumption and, in turn, reduce carbon emissions.

“By keeping carbon inside wood, one day timber could turn our homes and even entire cities into carbon sinks,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during an event on November 24, 2022.

The built environment is responsible for 40% of energy-related CO2 emissions globally. And it just continues to grow, essentially adding one New York City each month with construction materials being the primary cause of emissions. This presents an incredible challenge. However, sustainable innovations in cement, steel, glass, and other materials can significantly move us forward on the journey toward low-carbon construction.

The population is growing and infrastructure is needed to support it. But the built environment is a major source of CO2 emissions, around 40 percent. Many of these emissions are produced when new materials are manufactured, such as cement, steel and glass.

Rethinking how we design and use materials, and avoiding over-specification (generally the stronger the concrete, the more cement is required), can make the construction process more efficient. And using more efficient design and delivery methods, modularization and digital rehearsals to avoid design clashes, can cut emissions.

How else can we pave the way to a sustainable future for the construction industry? Let’s have a look at four solutions from the Skanska world.