The Nordic Authorities have each appointed one or two representatives within the sector in their country, who can contribute with relevant insights and share knowledge across the region. These meetings ensure ongoing dialogue across the borders and help the sector learn from each other’s experiences.
Denmark
DI Danish Construction presented the newly published initiative Byggeriets Handletank for Bæredygtighed. The initiative brings together companies and organisations across the construction sector’s value chain to create a shared direction and translate knowledge into concrete action. It focuses particularly on reducing resource consumption, lowering CO2 emissions, promoting the transition to a circular economy and protecting and restoring biodiversity.
Read the full report in Danish here
Faroe Islands
House of Industry in the Faroe Islands shared insights into their sustainability strategy. Due to limited land availability, the focus is increasingly on building upwards rather than outwards. A sustainability network within the industry is emerging, and discussion is underway about establishing a dedicated construction network as part of this effort.
Finland
In Finland, the Green Building Council presented the Green Deal for Circular Economy, a voluntary agreement aimed at improving circularity in organisations own operations. The deal involves setting common goals, rules and criteria for commitments, selecting measures and objectives for sectors, companies, regions and municipalities, and encouraging participation from across the industry.
Greenland
Inuplan in Greenland provided an update on developments in the Greenlandic building sector. The national strategy for sustainability in the sector was developed in 2024 and following, a Council for Sustainable Construction has been established. Additionally, a Greenlandic DGNB certification is being developed and set to be implemented in 2026.
Denmark
The Danish Council of Sustainable Construction presented a report on DGNB in Denmark. The findings show that certified residential and non-residential buildings achieve higher asking rents compared to non-certified buildings. The report also concludes that certification encourages more thorough LCAs, resulting in an increasing demand for product specific EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations).
Norway
NHO Byggenæreingen in Norway gave insights into the Norwegian building regulations on GWP have been revised and are currently under consultation. The revision includes extended reporting requirements, a broader LCA scope and new limit values of materials.
Sweden
Finally, Bygg Foretagen (The Swedish Construction Federation) presented Sweden’s coordinated sector wide roadmap toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. More than 200 companies have signed on to the targets and requirements of the roadmap to support the transition.
See an overview of initiatives from the Nordic construction sector here