
Building industry
Nature Impact
Supply Chain
Partnership
Biodiversity in Construction – Measuring and Reducing Impact Across the Value Chain
Client
Realdania, Planetary Responsibility Foundation, AP Pension, PensionDanmark
Partner
Aaen Engineering, Concito, Oiko, Sweco
Services
Resource Dependency & Value Chain Assessments
Project Description
The construction sector's biggest biodiversity impact doesn't happen on the building site - it happens in the extraction and production of materials, yet most of the industry has no way to measure it. This report establishes a method, a baseline, and concrete recommendations to address it.
The Project
Based on an analysis of 50 Danish building projects, the BBV project has developed the first Danish method for calculating a building's full biodiversity impact across its value chain, using the same LCA framework already applied for climate accounting.
The report sets two targets: a short-term operational benchmark based on the current baseline's lower quartile, and a long-term sector ambition - to stop biodiversity loss contributions by 2030 and reverse them by 2050, in line with the Kunming-Montreal framework.
Key Findings
95% of the impact happens off-site
The overwhelming majority of biodiversity impact comes from material supply chains, not the building plot. Materials account for 78% of total impact on average, with the largest share in raw material extraction and production.
Three materials dominate the account
Timber, concrete, and metal together account for 43% of a building's total biodiversity impact. For concrete and metal, the driver is CO₂ emissions, so low-carbon alternatives cut both climate and biodiversity impact at once. For timber, origin matters enormously - Northern and Central European timber carries 70–90% lower biodiversity impact than the global average.
Renovation consistently outperforms new construction
It has lower biodiversity and climate impact and should be the default consideration before new builds are pursued.
The gap between best and worst is 2.8x within the same building typology
It is explained almost entirely by material volume and sourcing choices, not technical constraints - the lever is already in developers' hands.
Reports
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Copenhagen
(+45) 20 28 35 85
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CVR: 45189961
New York
+1 (917) 450-5622
nyc@upstream.partners
EIN: 99-5118639
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Copenhagen
(+45) 20 28 35 85
cph@upstream.partners
CVR: 45189961
New York
+1 (917) 450-5622
nyc@upstream.partners
EIN: 99-5118639
Stay connected
By submitting your email, you agree to receive news and updates from Upstream Partners. You can unsubscribe at any time. See our Privacy Policy for how we handle your data.
© Upstream Partners 2026
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
