Future of real estate business lies in sustainable and green solutions

The urging necessity to generate a positive impact on the climate can be also seen in worldwide regulations. As part of the European Climate Law, the European Commission has proposed a legally binding target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Poland, for example, has already taken steps in this direction – the Council of Ministers has approved the newest version of the energy policy through 2040 which aims, among others, to reduce the share of coal in the electricity generation mix from 72 percent in 2020 to 56 percent in 2030. When it comes to the building sector, the major focus is on the existing building stock as it is responsible for 40 percent of the EU's energy consumption and more than one-third of greenhouse emissions. However, only 1 percent of buildings undergo energy-efficient renovation every year, so it is crucial to act quickly.

As it turns out, Poles are an example of residents in the CEE region, who are aware of the current situation in terms of climate change – more than half of them indicate the protection of the environment as the most problematic area for the country (even before issues related to the healthcare system and economic development). According to the report “Zielone Miasta i gminy” 2021 by innogy Poland, in the creation of which the Skanska residential development unit in Poland was also involved, the majority of Polish residents (70 percent) consider climate change as a significant threat to themselves. Half of the respondents claim that companies should act pro-ecologically, while nearly 88 percent of Poles believe that the country should financially support the implementation of renewable energy sources.

"On our way to achieving the climate target, we are working on various innovative green solutions. An example of such activities is the fact that since 2018 we have been testing the perovskite solar cells in cooperation with Saule Technologies. So far, the solution has been tested in the Spark office building in Warsaw. Now we are launching a pilot production line, which will allow the production of cells in a larger format," Katarzyna Zawodna-Bijoch, President and CEO of Skanska office development in CEE, said.

(WBJ)