Green deal signed to reduce emissions at construction sites

The Ministry of the Environment, Senate Properties and the cities of Espoo, Helsinki, Turku and Vantaa have signed a voluntary Green Deal agreement to reduce emissions at construction sites, said a government press release on Wednesday.

The aim of the agreement is that construction sites of the cities and Senate Properties will be fossil free by the end of 2025, meaning they will not use fossil fuels.

In addition, by 2030, at least 50 per cent of construction machinery and site transports will be powered by electricity, biogas or hydrogen.

Emissions from construction sites under the agreement include emissions from machinery, electricity, heating and, in stages, emissions from transport.

“The agreement supports the achievement of Finland’s emission reduction targets and sustainable development goals. The measures to be agreed now and the criteria to be created jointly can support municipal and state emission reduction measures and create new sustainable operating opportunities for companies,” said Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen.

The agreement is the first Green Deal agreement signed among the public sector in order to promote sustainable procurement. KEINO Competence Centre for Sustainable and Innovative Public Procurement supports the Ministry of the Environment in implementing the agreement.

“At the same time as emissions from energy production in the Turku region have taken a rapid downward turn, the relative share of other emissions is rising and their importance in achieving carbon neutrality by 2029 is emphasised. Reducing emissions from construction sites requires alteration of the usual practices simultaneously by many parties, and it is therefore important that we have initiated this together,” said Mayor of Turku Minna Arve.

Together with KEINO Competence Centre, the parties to the agreement will create a common emission-free site operating model as well as an agreement monitoring system and procurement criteria that will be applied at their construction sites. Other municipalities and public sector actors are also invited to participate.

Mayor of Helsinki Jan Vapaavuori said that Helsinki has long promoted the development of emission-free construction sites through various projects and has engaged in active international cooperation.

“At Helsinki construction sites, we have been proactive regarding the Green Deal’s targets by launching a pilot of five fossil free sites in the spring of 2020 and, with the lessons learned from them, by striving to be fossil free at all new infrastructure sites already during this year,” he added.

The piloting of emission-free construction sites has also begun in Espoo.

“The pilot site Suurpellon Lukutori started achieving emission reductions in June. At the same time, we are also developing emissions accounting so that we can assess the effectiveness of measures better,” said Mayor of Espoo Jukka Mäkelä.

The aim of the agreement is to share information on the best practices developed and identified, and to encourage public sector actors to join the agreement on a broad front. Many cities are already interested.

“With this Green Deal, cities are showing the market that we are working together to combat climate change though both common goals and procurement criteria. Long-term common goals and operating methods aiming at 2030 will also make it easier for companies to eventually develop emission-free construction sites,” said Mayor of Vantaa Ritva Viljanen.

The cities have also hoped that government organisations would participate in the agreement so that comprehensive cooperation could take place at the national level. Senate Properties is the first to take part.

“Emission-free construction sites is one new, concrete step towards achieving this target. Green Deals also implement the objectives of the Hankinta-Suomi operational programme for procurement,” said Chief Operating Officer of Senate Properties Juha Lemström.

A Green Deal is a voluntary agreement between the state and a business sector or municipalities. The aim is to take joint action to promote the Sustainable Development Goals by seeking solutions to mitigate climate change and promote a circular economy.