Our latest Construction Goes Circular® Sustainability Webinar was moderated and organized by me, Enni Karikoski, Peikko Group Sustainability Manager, together with Anu Unelius, Peikko Group Communications Manager. The panel session was kicked off by expert Matti Kuittinen, Associate Professor of Sustainable Construction at Aalto University, and he highlighted the urgent need for sustainable solutions due to important factors such as population growth, increased material consumption, and the sector's significant contribution to energy use and waste.
Impact of the building industry
Global population growth is driving the need for 2 billion new homes and the repair of 3 billion existing buildings by the end of the century. This surge in construction demands significant amounts of materials, energy, and emissions. Emissions from materials like concrete, steel, and bricks are rising, and this is threatening the Paris Agreement climate goals. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change calls for an 80-90% reduction in construction sector emissions by 2050.
Concrete actions toward sustainability
Xander Sales, Senior Project Engineer at Peikko Group, provided practical strategies for implementing circular economy principles in construction when discussing global construction needs and projections for new and existing homes. As shared in the webinar, I truly believe that modular, circular building projects, material reuse, and hybrid solutions are key to reducing waste and emissions. For example, the De Nieuwe Kern project in Amsterdam can be fully relocated after 15 years, and the Concept Hoog Over project features modular buildings with adaptable floor counts.
In the Netherlands, investors and real estate companies are increasingly converting old offices into residential buildings and recovering components like floors, steel structures, and columns for reuse in new projects. Hybrid solutions combining mass timber, steel, and concrete, such as DELTABEAM ® Green, use over 90% recycled steel and timber slabs to create more sustainable building products.
As we learned, the evolving regulatory landscape in the EU emphasizes the importance of accurate and transparent data for environmental claims. Recent and upcoming EU regulations require companies to make specific, verifiable environmental claims about their products, avoiding vague terms and ensuring compliance with legal standards to prevent greenwashing. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and other third-party certifications provide industry-approved verification of sustainability features, as expressed by expert Jenni Laininen, Advocate and CEO of Laininen Law.
Key takeaways and recap
One of my key takeaways is that consumer acceptance of homes built from recycled materials also requires a mindset shift in which architects and designers can play a leading role. Companies should pursue sustainability as a strategic advantage, as consumers and users increasingly value healthy, sustainable living environments. Examples of sustainable buildings from panelists ranged from wooden structures, such as Helsinki's Oodi library, to modular and hybrid Peikko projects showcased, and even the concept of not building at all when possible.
In conclusion, I must emphasize: the construction industry must embrace sustainable practices to meet the challenges of the future, and we need to implement these solutions on a large scale. By rethinking production processes, increasing reuse and recycling, and adhering to stringent regulations, the industry can reduce its environmental impact and contribute to overall climate change mitigation and adaptation.
CGC, Sustainability Webinar Series 1 was held on August 22, 2025, with knowledgeable guest speakers Matti Kuittinen, Xander Sales, and Jenni Laininen participating in the panel discussion. Our next Sustainability Webinar Session 2 will be held in the latter part of autumn 2025. Stay tuned!
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