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On the journey toward a carbon neutral future

On the journey toward a carbon neutral future

The climate crisis is one of humanity’s greatest challenges. Did you know that the building and construction sector accounts for nearly 40% of all energy-related carbon emissions in the world? 

No other sector has a larger impact on emissions. We want to do our part by leading the way towards a greener industry transition, acting forcefully to tackle the climate crisis together.

Quite a lot has happened since we first launched our climate goal of becoming climate-neutral across our entire value chain by 2045. Here we show some of the progress we’re making with partners and explored common areas where we can help realize a carbon neutral future.

Rising to the challenge

If we are to slow down climate change, the entire construction sector must make great changes. By working smarter and looking at the whole-life perspective of these spaces, we can help people and the planet by creating more sustainable buildings and infrastructure.

We see through experience how low carbon/zero-carbon solutions benefit businesses by driving efficiencies and reducing long term costs. Within our own operations, we’ve reduced carbon emissions by 28 % compared to the base year, 2015. During this period, the Group's revenues have increased. In other words, revenue and focusing on sustainability are not conflicting ambitions, but quite the contrary. 100 % of our external funding for our own projects come from either green bonds or with green requirements.

There’s a shift happening as more and more clients, particularly public clients from which we gain 60 % of our revenue, are requiring sustainable impact. Incorporating sustainable procurement further enables us to work with increased focus and transparently share sustainable performance and measurements.

"Skanska has a strong will to raise our ambitions and that includes working towards a more sustainable transition for the entire industry."

Anders Danielsson
Skanska Group
President & CEO


 

A closer look at the value chain

  1. Production of materials and energy
  2. Transports
  3. Construction
  4. Use of buildings and infrastructure
  5. Demolition and recycling

Certified commercial buildings share of total divestments

Share of total value, corresponding to SEK 15.4 billion, of divested offices in Commercial Property Development business stream, certified with WELL, LEED (Platinum or Gold) or BREEM (Excellent).

Energy reduction in new office buildings

Annual energy reduction in divested office buildings developed by Commercial Development Nordics, Europe and USA compared to average.

"There is an advantage to be gained from those who dare to challenge the existing ways of working."

Lena Hök
Skanska Group
Executive Vice President Sustainability & Innovation


 

A living building transforming future generations

An extension of The Georgia Institute of Technology, The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design was completed last year and is evaluated by The Living Building Challenge – a building certification program and tool that defines the most advanced measure of sustainability in the built environment today. The pending certificate makes The Kendeda Building the most environmentally advanced educational and research facility of its kind in the Southeast of USA. According to The Living Building Challenge program, its projected energy use intensity is 72 % more efficient than your average building of the same size and occupancy. In total, the building’s system produces more energy than it consumes, making it a net-positive energy facility. Designed to function as a true living, learning laboratory, it educates and transforms future generations of thinkers and doers to reimagine how we interact with our buildings and surroundings for a more sustainably built environment.

Take a virtual tour

Sweden’s first net-zero commercial property

For the first time ever, we’ve accepted the challenge of achieving climate neutrality in commercial property for office project: Hyllie Terrace. One of few Swedish projects part of the Sweden Green Building Councils (SGBC) pilot study on ZeroCO2 certification of buildings (properties achieving net-zero climate impact during its lifetime, from material production to disassembling), Hyllie Terrace has received the study’s pre-certification so far. We will, among other things, use green concrete, recycling and upcycling as well as innovative energy solutions to ensure the entire building approaches sustainability from a holistic point of view. Located in one of southern Sweden’s most sustainable districts, Hyllie in Malmö, the building is expected to be ready for occupancy in the Spring of 2023 and will also be certified according to SGBC's LEED system and health certified according to WELL.

Follow its progress

The world’s northernmost energy-positive building

Tucked away in the harbor of Trondheim, Norway lies office development, Powerhouse Brattørkaia: the worlds northernmost energy-positive building. A part of the Powerhouse collaboration – a standard for the buildings of the future, based on the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree target – Brattørkaia is designed after the philosophy “form follows environment”, versus the common phrase “form follows function”. The building produces more than double the amount of electricity it consumes daily. Fusing forward-thinking, highly efficient architecture and engineering with renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and geothermal energy, it sets an extraordinary example of how buildings can be a solution to climate change without compromising on aesthetics.

Learn more about Brattørkaia

Cutting carbon emission with AI

Imagine 200 construction machines on a construction site, all of them knowing each other’s location, task and how to best optimize and organize the upcoming work. Well, that’s exactly what Skanska Norway has joined forces with research company, SINTEF, Volvo and software company, Ditio to do. Together, they will use machine learning, route optimization and artificial intelligence to help machines work more efficiently, and thereby lowering costs, emissions as well as decreasing the health and safety risks that are often associated with heavy construction machinery.

The construction industry accounts for about 15 percent of Norway's greenhouse gas emissions, and just over 20 percent of this share comes from construction machinery. The data shows that some machines can idle up to 40 percent of the time while waiting for each other. By developing algorithms that learn to recognize inefficient routes and driving patterns, the team can see which machines are needed where, and coordinate the machine park to avoid unnecessary waiting time, idling and redundant work.

Randi Lekanger, Skanska Norway’s Environmental Manager, points out that Norway spends NOK 100 billion a year on road construction, and that about 70 percent of the cost is related to fuel, personnel and operation of machines. By optimizing workflows with AI she explains that not only will “we cut emissions, but we will also build the road faster and cheaper. If this goes as we want, it will be felt in the state budget.”

Sustainable projects around the world