First ever Nordic PEFC-certified building project

Scandinavia is soon to welcome its first PEFC Project certified building as Mäihä, a wooden apartment block, is unveiled at the Seinäjoki Housing Fair in Finland this July.

Through PEFC Project Certification, the building constructors will be able to demonstrate the project’s contribution to environmental conservation and economic sustainability.

“We are pleased that the first Nordic PEFC construction project will be in Finland,” announced Auvo Kaivola, Secretary General of PEFC Finland. “There have already been several good examples of PEFC Project Certification, including Kingsgate House, a certified apartment block in the UK, and the Winter Universiade in Italy.”

Mäihä will be built from modules made of PEFC-certified cross laminated timber (CLT) assembled in Stora Enso’s mill. The modules are prefabricated in Hartola mill, and ready for assembly in the construction site. The prefabricated elements include windows, doors and kitchen units.

“Population growth and urbanization, as well as raising awareness on environmental and climate issues, increase the urge for sustainable and climate friendly wood-based construction,” said Petri Perttula, Head of Building Solutions at Stora Enso.

Once built, and only after an audit by an independent third party to ensure the project meets PEFC’s exacting requirements, will the building receive a PEFC certificate.

“As pioneers in wood construction in Finland, we wanted to be the first company to achieve PEFC project certification,” said Timo Mantila, Chief Executive Officer of Lakea Oy, the company responsible for the construction of the building.

“The use of CLT elements offers many opportunities and guarantees, among other things, the rapid erection of the building. We want to develop wood construction practices in Finland,” continued Mr. Mantila.

In addition to its use as a construction material, wood will play an important role throughout the site, including the decoration of the individual apartments.

Why build with wood?
Wood materials not only offer unique construction solutions to address the world’s growing need for urban housing, but if sourced sustainably from a certified forest, can help prevent the overexploitation and degradation of the world’s forests.

“There is now the opportunity to not only build these homes, but also to do so in a way that results in the lowest footprint possible: sustainable timber therefore sits at the heart of tomorrow’s construction industry,” highlighed Ben Gunneberg, PEFC International CEO.
http://pefc.org/news-a-media/general-sfm-news/2078-first-ever-nordic-pefc-certified-building-project

Related Posts

Sonoco Commits to Ambitious 2030 Goals to Further Reduce Environmental Footprint

Sonoco announced new commitments to advance its environmental progress by setting ambitious goals to reduce its global greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement – to limit global temperatures to warming to well-below 2° C above pre-industrial levels. These emission reduction targets have recently been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Sonoco has committed to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2030 from a 2020 base year. The Company has also committed to reduce absolute scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 13.5 percent from a 2019 base year by working with its customer and suppliers to develop innovative packaging solutions that reduce packaging waste and improve recyclability. In addition, the Company is actively studying necessary operational changes, technology developments and market changes that would be required to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050.

What is the role of space and time in sustainable forest management?

Sustainable development is usually described as encompassing three main pillars: Environmental, social, and economic. But there are other important dimensions that need to be addressed. “Sustainability is about much more than just the environmental, social and economic dimensions. It is also about the dimensions of space and time, both of which need to be addressed for sustainable development to make a real difference on the ground,” said Thorsten Arndt, Head of Communications at PEFC International, at the 2nd International Convention on Sustainable Trade and Standards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “The dimension of space means that we have to translate our global understanding of sustainable development into the local context and address the unique local framework conditions, which are different from country to country,” Mr. Arndt explained. “The dimension of time takes into account that our understanding and our expectations of sustainability change over time, so we need to adapt it on a regular basis,” he continued.

A 5-year journey – UPM Raflatac announces further progress towards the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment

UPM Raflatac has made further progress toward a more circular economy for plastics and a future beyond fossils in 2022. The progress towards 2025 commitments is detailed in the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment 2023 Progress Report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The report provides transparency on how major businesses are addressing the plastic pollution crisis. “We joined the Global Commitment five years ago as the first label materials company. As a supplier in the packaging value chain, this presents an opportunity to transparently showcase our actions to provide solutions for brands and designers as they aim for more circular packaging,” says Robert Taylor, Sustainability Director, UPM Raflatac.
Back To Top
×Close search
Search