Environmental certifications facilitate the placing of environmental requirements and prioritize the best measures for environmental conservation. The systems have high credibility, which in turn simplifies communication about environmental work and the building’s environmental performance. An environmentally certified building can also strengthen the brand and reduce future risks.
LEED, BREEAM, GreenBuilding, the Nordic Ecolabel, passive buildings and Miljöbyggnad are the most commonly used eco-labeling systems.
At Skanska, we strive to promote the LEED system, since it is an internationally recognized, comprehensive environmental-certification system that provides major opportunities to drive the development of green construction.
Environmental certification – a comparison
There are many different eco-labeling systems available for buildings today, which makes it difficult to choose and know what the various labels stand for. They cannot be directly compared, because they handle similar issues by using different approaches.
At Skanska, we work with all of the most commonly used systems and we assist you in learning about what they represent.
In order to gain an overall view of the issues that the various systems deal with, we have performed an analysis that is summarized below. Certain systems deal only with single issues, such as energy, while others adopt a holistic approach. It is best to adopt an eco-labeling system at the earliest possible stage and it also provides useful support in the planning process. All the environmental certifications fulfill a specific function to develop a greener focus for the construction industry.
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Sweden Green Building Council (SGBC)
The goal of the Sweden Green Building Council is to jointly develop environmental and sustainability efforts in the construction and real estate sectors. The forum is a gathering point for various industry initiatives and influences decision-makers, disseminates knowledge and creates tools for achieving tangible improvements to the environmental impact of buildings.
Increasing numbers of customers seek to objectively compare the environmental performance of various buildings. Consequently, choosing an internationally viable standard is becoming one of SGBC’s most prioritized practical activities.
The Sweden Green Building Council (SGBC) was established in 2009, when Skanska joined forces with 11 other property developers, real estate companies, construction companies, other companies and organizations. Skanska is one of the 12 founders of the organization.