A new report published by ARUP and WBCSD – World Business Council on Sustainable Development, with contributions from Holcim and IUCN, sheds light on the impacts of buildings on nature.
The built environment sector is critical to achieving a nature-positive future, as it is responsible for nearly 30% of biodiversity loss globally, 50% of global raw materials extraction, 40% of waste streams, and 40% of CO2 emissions.
By 2025, the construction industry is predicted to generate 2.2 billion tons of waste annually. Of this, approximately 77 million tonnes (35%) end up in landfills each year.
WBCSD, in collaboration with its members and supported by global sustainable development consultancy Arup, has launched this research on how to measure and monitor the nature impacts of buildings across their whole lifecycle. Exploring Nature Positive Buildings shows real estate developers, building designers, and others in the built environment sector the first steps towards assessing the ‘whole-life nature impacts’ of buildings.
The report is available here.