Sustainability in Construction: Challenges and Solutions

The Construction Industry and CO2 Consumption

"The construction sector is one of the most resource-intensive industries. In Germany alone, 517 million tons of mineral raw materials are used annually in construction. This accounts for 90 percent of all domestic resource extraction." (Source). Global resource consumption is substantial. Material efficiency is just one of many aspects that deserve attention. There are many more factors to consider: the global transport and operation of construction equipment as well as diesel fuel emissions cause significant damage – 40% of CO2 emissions and nearly one-third of all waste in the EU is generated by the construction industry (Source).

"We must act now. As a company, we are aware of our responsibility to contribute to Europe becoming climate-neutral by 2050. klarx transports machines across millions of kilometers throughout Europe every year and thus has a direct impact on climate goals," says Florian Handschuh, co-founder of klarx. Below, we explain what steps klarx is already taking and which solutions every company can implement immediately.

3 Solutions for Greater Sustainability in Construction

1. Establish a Team of Climate Officers

Becoming more sustainable is not something you do on the side. Regardless of company size, you should actively and deliberately engage with the topic of "climate neutrality in the company." This works best when you assemble a team of people who are personally passionate about the issue and want to drive things forward. Key tasks include calculating, reducing, and offsetting your company's own CO2 emissions. Every employee can easily contribute here. Climate officers actively engage with the topic, identify solutions, and consult with management. The primary goal is to raise awareness, break down old structures, and counteract climate change.

2. Evaluate and Apply Circular Business Models for Construction Phases

The value chain of the construction industry is diverse and offers many opportunities to consider ecological impact.

Saving resources, reusing construction waste, and reprocessing materials – the circular economy system can be applied to nearly every construction phase. You can simply start: use digital tools instead of paper in the planning phase, switch to renewable building materials in procurement, or prevent waste during the construction process itself through recycling of surplus material. Renewable raw materials have the advantage that they can be used multiple times, bind atmospheric carbon, and are biologically recyclable (Source).

klarx fuels climate-neutrally at BayWa

3. Rent Construction Equipment Instead of Buying

Do you need reliable, flexible, and sustainable equipment procurement? As a digital solution provider for renting construction equipment, we not only guarantee the availability of all agreed machines, but also ensure that our own logistics take into account people, climate, and the environment. Short transport routes, climate-neutral diesel fuel, and digital handover protocols are the first steps in the right direction. When all project participants use our digital tools like klarxMANAGER or klarxSUPPLY, not only is valuable time saved before, during, and after the rental, but unnecessary paper is also avoided. Renting construction equipment through klarx has a positive effect on the environment by optimizing utilization rates, preventing non-use, and reducing material consumption as much as possible.

It goes without saying that the construction industry cannot achieve environmental awareness overnight – but with the points mentioned above, the path can be paved: raising awareness for greater sustainability in construction is already half the battle.

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"klarx fuels climate-neutrally at BayWa" © Own representation