“Charter for Circular Building” twelve big ones make headway
When twelve of the biggest construction companies in Switzerland commit to the circular economy, it has an impact. Today, too many raw materials are still irretrievably lost in construction. If fewer non-renewable raw materials and energies are used, the construction industry will become much more sustainable and future-proof. In addition to the federal government, the city and the canton of Zurich, a number of large private companies have signed the "Charter for Circular Construction".
Despite great progress in recent years: Too many valuable, non-renewable raw materials are still irretrievably lost during construction. And the net zero target is still a long way off. The construction and operation of buildings and infrastructures are responsible for about 50 percent of the raw material demand, one third of the CO2 emissions and over 80 percent of the waste produced in Switzerland. If the construction industry is to become more sustainable and fit for the future, the consumption of non-renewable raw materials in construction must decrease and grey greenhouse gas emissions must fall.
Against this background, twelve of the largest public and private construction clients in Switzerland are setting out on the path towards a circular economy. Together, they are responsible for around CHF 4 billion of building construction investments per year. By signing the “Charter for Circular Construction”, they have committed themselves to a joint ambition to reduce the use of non-renewable primary raw materials to 50 percent of the total mass by 2030, to record and greatly reduce grey greenhouse gas emissions, and to measure and greatly improve the circularity of renovations and new buildings.
In the construction and maintenance of their properties, innovative solutions are to be developed to achieve these goals: refurbish instead of building new, build for the long term, reduce material use, reuse. The participating companies confirmed this today by signing the charter in NEST, Empa/Eawag’s modular research and innovation building in Dübendorf. They are determined to take decisive steps forward in the circular economy in the Swiss construction industry. They want to learn together and invite other building owners to join the charter.
With the Charter, a number of the most important Swiss construction clients have committed themselves to the circular economy. The Charter is open to other partners. The charter partners want to pool their knowledge and experience in order to promote the development of the circular economy in the Swiss construction industry, in the awareness of their great responsibility for sustainable, climate-friendly construction in Switzerland.
The focus is on voluntary cooperation and networking driven by a pioneering spirit, and on joint learning with the aim of triggering concrete steps towards circular construction.
The common ambition is to reduce the use of non-renewable primary raw materials to 50 percent of the total mass by 2030, to record and strongly reduce the emission of indirect greenhouse gas emissions, and to record and strongly improve the circularity of renovations and new buildings. The first signatories of the charter are: Allreal; AXA Investment Managers Schweiz AG, Baudirektion Kanton Zürich, Bundesamt für Bauten und Logistik BBL, Empa, Hochbaudepartement Stadt Zürich, Post Immobilien Management und Services AG, Swiss Prime Site, Swiss Life Asset Management AG, UBS Fund Management (Switzerland) AG, Zug Estates and Zurich Invest AG.