The GOLDBECK
Blue Buildings

The EU taxonomy is a building block of the European Green Deal to channel private capital flows into environmentally sustainable investments.

Proof of conformity is provided by compliance with the EU taxonomy criteria depending on the main environmental objective.  

This is where we come in, because with the introduction of the EU taxonomy as an EU-wide system for classifying sustainable economic activities and investments, the EU taxonomy criteria are playing an increasingly important role in the industry, especially for property financing and corporate management reporting.

EU taxonomy compliance of buildings can be achieved by making a significant contribution to the environmental objectives "climate protection" or "adaptation to climate change", taking into account the DNSH requirements in the remaining six environmental objectives and complying with the minimum level of protection. This involves fulfilling criteria that can be influenced by the building design as well as criteria that are within the employer's sphere of influence.

The Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor (CREEM) – often used by banks, investors and funds – provides the real estate industry with transparent, science-based decarbonisation pathways that are aligned with the Paris climate targets to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 °C.

With the help of CRREM, the carbon footprint of energy consumption during the operation of a property can be assessed and transparently compared with the decarbonisation pathway and reduction targets.

Banks, investors and funds use decarbonisation pathways when assessing the financial risk associated with the high CO₂ intensity of properties in operation (carbon risk).

CRREM is an industry standard and provides target values (depending on the country and asset class) for the annual carbon footprint of energy consumption during the operation of a property in the form of decarbonisation pathways.

For existing properties, these provide guidance for a sensible and effective strategy for reducing CO₂ emissions. New construction projects can be benchmarked to fulfil the target values in 2045 or 2050.

The sustainability certificate issued by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) is one of the leading certification systems for making sustainable construction transparent, measurable and comparable. The basic standard of GOLDBECK building systems is pre-assessed for at least the “DGNB Gold“ certificate thanks to the multiple certificates for the products warehouses, factory buildings and office buildings. This means that certification can be achieved with less effort.

Sustainability certificates are voluntary and generally have a favourable effect on financing, financial support advice and ESG ratings (at company level). DGNB certification has the advantage that the EU taxonomy has been taken into account where possible (separate proof required) and creates an initial basis for financial support advice from the federal government.

Energy-efficient buildings with smart energy monitoring have environmental and financial benefits for investors, property owners and users. In addition to the requirements of the EU taxonomy and energy laws, the reduction of energy requirements and the use of renewable energies is necessary for the secure energy supply of properties in the future – in times of the energy transition and the transformation of the energy sector.

The EU taxonomy and federal subsidies with statutory requirements for primary energy and the proportion of renewable energies provide benchmarks for energy efficiency.

Ancillary costs and security of supply are also playing an increasingly important role and can also be found in project requirements for final energy demand.

The efficient use of resources in construction makes both a financial contribution and a contribution to protecting our environment by using fewer resources.

Primary resources can be conserved through lean building construction and good material sourcing as well as the optimisation, scaling and prefabrication of components in our own factories.

Our new construction projects benefit from the GOLDBECK system construction method with optimised components thanks to prefabrication in our own factories. We have also optimised the manufacturing process so that GOLDBECK system components are produced to a high quality with minimal use of materials and energy and low levels of waste.

The preservation of ecosystems is the basis of our lives and is therefore of crucial importance not only from an ecological, but also from a social and economic perspective.

This includes the protection of flora and fauna, the preservation of biodiversity, near-natural recreational areas, natural shading and a natural water balance as well as the long-term stability and resilience of our ecosystem.

Satisfaction and well-being of the users as well as targeted structural and technical measures for health and comfort during utilisation increase the attractiveness and value of the property.

The right interior and exterior design, the choice of low-emission materials and the right equipment and technology concept for acoustics, lighting, thermal comfort and other user-specific features, such as mobility, are key factors.

Circularity in construction enables the long-term use of materials and construction materials without them becoming waste.

The selection of construction materials with a high recycled content reduces the use of primary raw materials. Designing the building so that it can be dismantled as cleanly as possible and selecting recycling-friendly construction materials promotes the value-preserving subsequent use of the construction products used.

The building becomes a material store with economic value.

The CO₂e footprint comprises the sum of all greenhouse gas emissions (including methane and nitrous oxide in addition to carbon dioxide, for example) and is therefore the basis for determining the global warming potential (GWP). For this purpose, the greenhouse gases are specified in CO₂ equivalents – CO₂e for short – according to their effectiveness.

The CO₂e footprint of buildings is a key ESG criterion in sustainable construction and an important component of companies' non-financial reporting (GHG Protocol).

The carbon footprint is the sum of greenhouse gas emissions for which an investor or a company is responsible.

In the industry, a distinction is commonly made between the CO₂ footprint for the building over its life cycle (embodied carbon) and the CO₂ footprint of the operation (operational carbon).

Benchmarks for sustainability performance are provided by the requirements of sustainability certificates and benchmarking with market standards.