Sustainable operations advice

Sweco advises on EU taxonomy

The EU classification system for reporting sustainable investments and activities focuses initially on climate change and reduction of carbon emissions. The reporting obligation will enter into force on 1 July 2022 and applies to large companies in reporting class C as well as pension funds for occupational retirement provision, investment companies, insurance companies and alternative investment fund managers. Our experts can help identify needs and requirements, screen buildings, collect data, ensure compliance and report correctly. Below, we give a brief account of how the EU taxonomy is structured. As the taxonomy will be phased in over the coming years, the below account represents a status of the implementation of the new EU regulation as at 7 October.

Certifications

Certification of your existing building(s) based on a recognised private scheme is not necessarily sustainable in accordance with the definitions in the EU taxonomy. At Sweco, we can help you achieve certification and ensure compliance with EU requirements. You can thus report the investment as sustainable.

We do this by ensuring that:

You obtain the right energy label in relation to the taxonomy category that you want
You get tools for monitoring and operating the building efficiently (e.g. large commercial buildings)
We prepare correct climate analyses and ensure that you implement and document relevant measures
The selected certification supports (for example through the points distribution) your compliance with the taxonomy requirements.

Major renovations

As the EU has defined what constitutes a major renovation, there are several things you need to be aware of in order to characterise a renovation as sustainable in your reporting. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that your sustainable renovation will result in an ownership that is sustainable in relation to the EU taxonomy. We help you comply with all requirements.

We assist you in:

Screening the project and documenting that your project meets the requirements for major renovations
Advising on sustainable ownership once the renovation has been completed
Preparing the necessary climate projection analyses
Documenting conditions for water installations, chemistry in building materials and recycling of materials.

New construction

There are several paths to sustainable construction, but they do not automatically result in one of the known certifications. To ensure that the construction project is sustainable based on the EU’s definitions and can thus generate ‘green’ rental income when completed, the project must be composed in a certain way. We help you achieve this.

We assist you in:

In a dialogue with you, we will establish the category in which you want to build
What is the relationship between the selected category(ies) and any certification?
A methodologically strong and well-proven commissioning process
Documentation of the requirements in the selected category
Strong operational presentations on everything from technology and engineering to biodiversity, so that the building is also sustainable in operation.

Portfolio screenings

Several elements come into play when you, as portfolio owner or manager, is to prepare a plan for how to maximise your portfolio in relation to the sustainability agenda. Did you know that your portfolio is not either sustainable or non-sustainable? Sustainability compliance is instead stated in percentages. It is crucial to obtain a strategic overview of the composition of your property portfolio as a basis for further reporting of the portfolio’s sustainability.

We assist you in:

Screening your portfolio to find the shortest path to the desired energy label(s) in relation to EU requirements
Performing initial climate analyses
Identifying properties which cannot be made sustainable based on EU definitions, but may be certified in accordance with the conventional schemes and maintain their investment value.