Thomas K. Pedersen
Certified Sustainability Consultant
ESG Strategy and Responsibility
ESG Strategy & Responsibility
We take climate seriously. We see this as our duty – especially because construction and the overall building stock are responsible for approximately 40% of total CO2 emissions, energy consumption, and waste production not only in Denmark, but also in the rest of the world.
Our DNA
We believe that every small action counts. Therefore, we actively work to reduce as large a portion of the negative impacts we have on climate and nature as possible.
To succeed in developing ourselves and continuing to reduce our climate footprint, it also means that we continuously evaluate and replace the materials used in our production if we find better alternatives.
This is a process that requires many resources, as we constantly scan the market for new technology, new materials, and better products. We analyze and evaluate potential products and materials based on EPDs and incorporate them exclusively if the manufacturer can document that the product’s environmental impact is lower than what we seek to phase out from our production.
In addition, we do what we can to support biodiversity in the local area. When we took over our premises in Engesvang, a large part of the area was paved—too large a part, in our view. Therefore, we removed 3,000 square metres of asphalt and paving, which has instead been planted with a wildflower meadow of native plants and supplemented with a rainwater retention basin.
When we took over the premises, it was also heated with natural gas, which did not align with our values. Instead, we have installed a woodchip-fired heating system. In this way, we are able to make better use of our resources, as the woodchips consist, among other things, of surplus wood and wood offcuts from our own production, as well as woodchips purchased from one of the other companies in the local area.
We have also installed a large solar PV system on the roof of our head office in Engesvang, which covers at least 20% of our total electricity consumption.
All of the above initiatives are part of our process to address the construction industry’s significant climate impact. We are fully aware that Rome was not
built in a day. Therefore, we continuously strive to improve and do our part so that one day we achieve a circular construction industry.
Circularity and Design for Disassembly
For us, reuse is deeply rooted in our construction method and business model. We reuse as large a portion of our building materials as possible – until they are worn out.
That is why we build our modules based on the principle of Design for disassembly, which means that the buildings can be moved, modified, and the parts reused if and when your needs change or cease altogether.
We work according to the principle that it should be easy for our descendants to dismantle the buildings, sort the building materials as waste, and reuse as much as possible.
Already, our rental modules are part of a circular cycle in which sections, modules, and even entire buildings are reused and refurbished so they can be incorporated into new construction projects again and again. The same applies to our permanent buildings: that they are dismantled, separated, and the parts reused once they have fulfilled their original purpose many years from now.
Certification and Environmental Labeling
It is important for us to build with healthy materials, offer good working conditions, and impact our surroundings as little as possible. Therefore, it comes naturally to us to offer environmental certification of our construction.
There are many good reasons and advantages to having your construction environmentally certified with either the Nordic Swan Ecolabel or DGNB. With certification, you are assured of getting a well-thought-out project, as certification functions as a tool that measures the building’s performance within a range of relevant criteria, such as environmental impact, energy consumption, and indoor climate. In this way, the certification’s benefits will quickly outweigh the expenses incurred in connection with the certification itself.
With certification, you get construction where environmental requirements and climate considerations are systematized, and where you are assured through an impartial third party that the high requirements the certifications place on, among other things, the climate impact of materials, are met.
Design for Disassembly
Read more about how we work with Design for disassembly, and how the principle helps us ensure as much reuse as possible in our construction projects.
The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals
Here you can find information about our work with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals—both strategically and in practice—as well as which goals we have chosen to focus our efforts on.
LCC and LCA Calculation
We actively use LCA and LCC calculations as part of our design process and as documentation in accordance with the Building Regulations.
Would you like to know more about our work with ESG and responsibility?