Promoting low-carbon construction


Low-carbon construction looks at the carbon footprint of buildings across their entire life cycle. The carbon footprint of construction is formed over the entire life cycle of a building. Typically, around half of emissions from residential buildings arise from construction materials, and just under one-third from energy consumption during use. Construction site operations as well as repair, demolition and conversion of buildings account for the remainder.

Distribution of the carbon footprint

YIT’s carbon footprint is primarily formed by emissions generated in the value chain. Most emissions are related to energy consumption during the use phase of buildings, accounting for approximately two-thirds of total emissions.

Just under one-third of our carbon footprint is associated with construction materials and procurement, such as purchased products and services. The remainder (2%) comes from YIT’s own operations, including energy use at construction sites and premises, and the use of equipment and vehicles.

Detailed calculation principles and boundaries are presented in our Sustainability Statement.

Sustainable Urban Environments barometer

We surveyed urban residents to understand what kinds of urban environments should be developed in Finland. The barometer brings together perspectives on housing, mobility and working environments.

How low-carbon approaches are reflected in practice

Our work to reduce emissions is guided by our carbon roadmap and our science-based emission reduction targets (Science Based Targets initiative, SBTi).

We consider emission-related aspects on a project-by-project basis across different phases of construction. Practical solutions are assessed based on which measures are most relevant and feasible for each project.

Our aim is to identify the most significant emission sources and review solutions that support emission reductions, considering the project’s starting points.

In practice, this may include:

  • assessing life-cycle emissions of buildings to support design decisions
  • considering the emission impacts of material choices alongside costs and technical requirements
  • improving energy efficiency in existing buildings and selecting energy solutions for new projects, such as ground-source heat and solar energy
  • reducing the use of fossil energy sources and increasing the use of renewable energy at construction sites and in our own properties

Energy efficiency and low-emission solutions are reviewed in projects as part of project planning and implementation on a case-by-case basis. The aim is to reduce building energy consumption while considering the project’s starting points, purpose and technical prerequisites.

We use, for example, ground-source heat, solar energy and efficient building services systems where technically feasible.

For example, in the Johanna block in Helsinki, heat is recovered for reuse from solar radiation, exhaust air and wastewater, and electricity is produced using solar panels and solar power glass.

Read more about the project (in Finnish)

Monitoring and evaluation

Our work related to low-carbon construction is guided by our science-based emission reduction targets (SBTi). We monitor energy consumption at construction sites and the carbon footprint of projects and use what we learn to support future planning.

Learn more about our targets and progress in our Sustainability Statement.

Principles guiding our work

SDG Goals