Assessing impacts on biodiversity in the building sector A study on wood and concrete as building materials

Abstract

Biodiversity is the vast variety of all life on this planet and their interactions together in ecosystems. As the building sector is one of the top three sectors that threatens global biodiversity, the Swedish building company, Sveafastigheter, wants to address the impacts the building sector has on biodiversity by comparing two building materials to each other in a project called Wood vs. concrete. The purpose of this study is to support the Wood vs. concrete project by finding methods to assess biodiversity in the building sector, with the aim to develop tools for biodiversity assessment. The method used has been a literature search, with an integrated case study where Sveafastigheter was interviewed about the Wood vs. concrete project, as well as the indicators identified in this thesis project. Over a hundred different indicators to assess biodiversity were found which were categorised into three different categories depending on how they were measured. The three different categories were (1) measured with the help of experts, (2) measured with the help of maps or datasets, and (3) measured in investments or reports. A majority of the indicators could be found in category two which included indicators such as the Biodiversity Integrity Index (BII), threatened forest species and Ecosystem Integrity Index (EII). The results of the case study showed that the found indicators were too complex to aggregate into one and that choosing just one that can accurately represent the variety and intricate nature of biodiversity was too complicated. No current policies, regulations or frameworks that target biodiversity specify what needs to be measured or how to measure biodiversity and the findings of this thesis project showed that there is a need for fast-paced development within this area. Taking this into consid- eration, five different internal Key Performance Indicators, KPIs, based on the indicator and methods findings, as well as future policy scenarios, were suggested to Sveafastigheter. These internal KPIs would enhance transparency and demonstrate that Sveafastigheter ac- tively engages in measuring something related to biodiversity. Measuring something means that there is at least a sense of direction of where biodiversity assessment and policies should be, and are, headed. The proposed internal KPIs establish a foundation which provides other companies within the building sector knowledge on where to start on their journey in assessing biodiversity impacts when choosing materials.