Skanska at COP28 global climate summit: scaling up solutions

Skanska, a recognized climate leader in the development and construction industry, will be at COP28 to join with customers, partners and policymakers to scale up global solutions for a more sustainable built environment.  COP28, the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, is a global climate summit being held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, from 30 November, where countries are coming together to negotiate actions to address climate change.

At COP28, our leaders will highlight Skanska’s and the industry’s crucial role in the energy transition, including how we can optimize energy efficiency and the use of low-carbon materials. This includes taking part in a dialogue with stakeholders across the value chain to drive the market transformation required to decarbonize the built environment.  We also see the need for internationally shared carbon performance standards that allow the comparison of solutions, and to drive innovation and development that will accelerate the climate transition.

Anders Danielsson, CEO of Skanska AB, says our leading position in the development and construction industry gives us an opportunity – and a responsibility – to act.

“The built environment accounts for nearly 40 percent of the world’s energy-related carbon emissions. Few other sectors can have a greater impact on reducing emissions,” he says.

“Our efforts to reduce emissions extend across our entire operation and drive much of the innovation we see all around the company, as well as presenting a great business opportunity.”

In line with our commitment to reduce carbon emissions from our global operations and value chain to net-zero by 2045, we announced in our Q3 2023 interim report that our own scope 1 and 2 emissions have been reduced by 58 percent from our baseline year of 2015.

Lena Hök, our Executive Vice President of Global Sustainability and Innovation, will take part in several conversations at the summit.  “We work together with other leading international companies in our value chain to set common directions and pathways for the built environment,” Lena Hök says.

As part of the World Building Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) we have collaborated on the new report Net Zero Operational Buildings – State of the Art. “By being part of initiatives like this, we can use our collective knowledge and that of our partners to scale innovative solutions on energy-efficient and energy-plus buildings across markets and help our customers in their climate transitions,” she says.

“We can see that private and public-sector customers in both Europe and the USA are raising the level of their emission-reduction ambitions. The importance of this cannot be stressed enough. Public procurement incorporating clear sustainability requirements is a crucial factor for success in driving the market transformation and decarbonizing the built environment.”

We are part of the COP28 business delegation coordinated by Business Sweden, with access to the diplomatic Blue Zone where negotiations will be conducted.

The Financial Times has recognized Skanska as one of its 2023 Climate Leaders.

For further information please contact:

Jacob Birkeland, Head of Media Relations and Public Affairs, Skanska AB, tel +46 (0)10 449 04 94

Direct line for media, tel +46 (0)10 448 88 99

This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com.

Skanska Group uses knowledge and foresight to shape the way people live, work, and connect. Over 135 years in the making, we’re one of the world’s largest project development and construction companies, with 2022 revenue totaling SEK 162 billion. We operate across select markets in the Nordics, Europe and USA. Together with our customers and the collective expertise of our 28,000 teammates, we create innovative and sustainable solutions that support healthy living beyond our lifetime.