Making Biodiversity Actionable; Managing Wood-Based Construction Supply Chains

Abstract

Biodiversity loss is increasingly recognized as a major environmental and governance challenge, and the construction and real estate sector contributes significantly through land-use change, raw material extraction, and material supply chains. Despite growing strategic attention, biodiversity remains difficult to integrate into procurement and material-related decision-making. Existing procurement systems are largely shaped by standardized climate-focused assessment tools, while biodiversity impacts are context-specific and difficult to measure. This study examines how real estate owners can address biodiversity impacts embedded in construction material supply chains through procurement practices. More specifically, it analyzes how biodiversity impacts are made visible and governed within procurement processes, and identifies barriers and leverage points for integration into material-related decision-making. The study is based on a qualitative single-case study of Vasakronan’s ongoing construction project Kaj16 in Gothenburg, Sweden, with a focus on wood-based construction materials. The empirical material consists of document analysis and semi-structured interviews with 25 participants across multiple analytical levels. The findings show that biodiversity remains weakly integrated into procurement practices due to limited visibility, weak governance mechanisms, and underutilized leverage points within procurement systems. Biodiversity is rarely translated into measurable procurement criteria, standardized indicators, or systematic supplier requirements, and is instead mainly addressed indirectly through certifications and broader sustainability frameworks. The study also identifies a misalignment between where biodiversity impacts occur and where decision-making authority is located. Biodiversity impacts primarily arise upstream in raw material extraction, while procurement influence is concentrated downstream in project planning and material selection. The study shows how visibility, governance mechanisms, and leverage points shape biodiversity governance in procurement. Practically, the findings indicate that improved traceability, clearer procurement requirements, stronger supplier governance, and earlier integration of biodiversity considerations in project planning are important for strengthening biodiversity integration in procurement practice.