June 9, 2020
Neuer Ramboll-Bericht zeigt, wie massive CO2-Einsparungen in der Bauindustrie möglich sind
Für die Europäische Umweltagentur untersucht Ramboll gemeinsam mit Partnern, wie Ansätze der Kreislaufwirtschaft den Carbon-Footprint in verschiedenen Sektoren senken können. Die Ergebnisse für die Bauindustrie deuten auf eine potenzielle Reduzierung der Emissionen um 60% bis 2050 hin.
With materials management estimated to represent two thirds of global CO2 emissions, most sectors need to develop in a more circular way. The buildings sector is no different. In a new report commissioned by the European Environment Agency, experts from Ramboll’s Management Consulting and Buildings division teamed up with external partners Fraunhofer ISI and EcoLogic to analyse the relationship between circular economy and climate change mitigation. By this, the team developed a methodology to quantify the decarbonisation benefits of circular economy actions.
Now, the final report is out. The main finding is that by combining eight selected circular economy actions in the buildings material sector, up to 60% of the CO2 emissions could be avoided in the EU compared to a baseline scenario; or an absolute reduction of 130 million tonnes of CO2 by 2050.
A more circular approach
Sector under pressure
So the case for change in the buildings sector is evident and urgent, says Xavier Le Den:
- Due to the importance of steel and concrete in terms of GHG emissions, the buildings industry is under pressure to find circular and efficient uses of these materials and to make use of viable and more sustainable alternatives. We hope that our findings can encourage the green transition in the sector.
The methodology put forward in the report is applicable to any economic sector and is tested for the buildings sector based on a collection of available data. While the study provides preliminary results from the use of the method, the team behind the report stresses that more data on the impacts of circular economy actions on the whole lifecycle of buildings - and on future buildings sector market trends - would allow for a more refined set of findings.
Further reading on the topic
Ramboll to inform the European Commission on how to make its operations climate neutral. Read how we do here.
A call to action: Why the buildings material sector needs to tackle embodied carbon. Read our thoughts on the topic here.