About
Plans for a SSBE were announced in the wake of the EU circular economy action plan, which was launched on 11 March 2020. The purpose of the SSBE is to increase material use efficiency and to reduce the climate footprint of the built environment, with the transition to circular buildings as a key measure.
The strategy is intended to be comprehensive and to encompass all policy areas needed to achieve sustainable transition, such as energy, waste and digitalisation.
It has been announced that the strategy will include, inter alia, revision and adaptation of the Construction Products Regulation to a circular economy, and review of waste regulations. As the strategy has not been established as of yet, this is of course subject to change.
The SSBE was originally scheduled for launch in late 2021, but was put on hold because some of the planned initiatives have already been anticipated by other strategies (for example the EU Renovation Wave Strategy).
On 11 March 2021, 31 European stakeholders signed and sent a joint letter to the European Commission, urging progress on finalising the strategy and calling for it to be launched in 2021. The letter invites the European Commission to commit to ensuring harmonisation across regulations, in an integrated push to drive sustainability and circularity in the built environment. The European Commission stated that the strategy will be presented no later than 2022, it has however not yet been presented.
Who does it impact?
The Norwegian property, building and construction sector will probably not be directly affected by the strategy, although it may be of significance to Norway as well – both through the amendment of regulations and the implementation of similar policy measures in Norway, as well as through developments in applicable market standards.
Status: In progress
Uncertain when it will be launched.
Thommessen's comments
We anticipate that the strategy will propose a number of policy measures to ensure effective transition to a sustainable built environment.
The close collaboration between Norway and the EU, including their joint reported commitment to attaining the climate objectives under the Paris Agreement, implies that such measures may also be of significance for Norway – both directly by way of Norway implementing any regulatory amendments, and indirectly through the establishment of industry standards for what is considered sustainable.