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Environmental information systems
EEA report 09/2024
The report assesses the current state of Europe’s buildings stock and looks at what is needed to make Europe’s buildings more sustainable. Renovating existing buildings with sustainable materials while improving climate resilience and working with nature are key. The report also explores what policy actions are needed to achieve that by 2050.
EN PDF: TH-01-24-001-EN-N - ISBN: 978-92-9480-677-2 - ISSN: 1977-8449 - doi: 10.2800/1800539
Key messages
- More than 30% of the EU's environmental footprint comes from buildings, making it the sector with the highest environmental impact in the Union.
- Societal trends such as an ageing population, increased affluence and a changing climate are expected to put pressure on the building stock. In addition to a demand for more buildings, especially in cities, there is also a need for different kinds of buildings that contribute to environmental and climate solutions. Thus, building sustainability is of increasing importance in Europe.
- EU Policies target different aspects of buildings such as energy efficiency and climate emissions, construction products and waste management. A unified policy strategy on buildings, covering all life cycle stages and integrating both environmental and climate issues, would help identify synergies and avoid trade-offs.
- Each stage of the building life cycle has a different environmental impact. For example, most natural resources are extracted when producing building construction products and components; most waste is generated when decommissioning buildings. Consequently, sustainability policies need to be nuanced to take these differences into account.
- Renovation and the use of construction products with a low environmental impact should be prioritised in the buildings system of the future. Lower energy consumption and resilience to climate change are vital characteristics of the sector going forward. To support biodiversity, nature-based solutions, green spaces, green roofs and vegetation should also be incorporated into design.
- A sustainable buildings system should create affordable and accessible housing for all. This aim could be supported by participatory approaches to decision-making which foster strong local communities, alongside subsidies for building renovations and upgrades to increase the affordability of sustainable buildings now and in the future.