The Top 5 Sustainable Development trends of 2023 showed a major switch worldwide, with decarbonisation criteria overcoming the standards imposed by today’s green certification methodologies. Certifications remain one of the key pillars in sustainable development, but decarbonisation requirements impose a more complex and stricter area of sustainability strategies in mostly all market segments.
The sustainable building landscape saw skyrocketing growth in the past 3 years, supported by the rapid evolution and implementation of Green Deal / Fit for 55 regulations. Sustainable development continues to evolve rapidly according to stricter standards and higher CO2 reduction goals.
Over 4734 real estate developments were certified between 2010-2022 just in the CEE area, with Poland (2092 certifications), the Czech Republic (751 certifications) and Romania (662 certifications) leading the sustainable development trend. Following a massive increase in the 1st decade of green building certifications, international methodologies such as BREEAM or LEED changed their role from leading standards and strategic targets to key tools for implementing sustainability strategies and decarbonisation goals. One example is represented by Romania, where the number of sustainable development certifications more than doubled in the past couple of years compared to the entire first decade: 332 certifications in 2021 and 2022, compared to just 300 between 2010-2020.
The major difference compared to the 1st decade is represented by the type of sustainability certifications – because of the increasing demand for nZEB, carbon footprint calculation and ESG strategies. Building owners, developers, and architects increasingly recognize the importance of sustainability in the building sector and reaching these standards imposes a much more complex set of actions, overcoming the classic building requirements – from concrete design and construction stage to mostly all market segments (energy, materials, distribution, waste and recycling, health, well-being and so on).
Răzvan Nica, BuildGreen founder and Managing Director notes: “The common standard that companies and investors need to respect today is Decarbonisation – a critical aspect in virtually all segments that define the Global economy. Looking at the rapid evolution in sustainability standards across the Globe, with the 2050 targets imposed worldwide, the role of decarbonisation seems to surpass today’s Digital Era. The sustainable development trends identified in the past two years foresee the beginning of a new era in history: the Decarbonisation Era.”
Overall, the sustainable development landscape is likely to continue to evolve rapidly in 2023, as stakeholders demand more action on environmental and social issues regarding climate neutrality, and as businesses and governments respond faster to these demands.
