Did you know that the built environment consumes 40% of energy and produces up to a third of greenhouse gas emissions in Finland? The climate targets set by the European Union and legislation related to corporate responsibility are placing increasingly stringent requirements on main contractors at construction sites in the years ahead. The significance of ESG goals (Environment, Social, Governance) — which have been influencing the industry for several years — will soon become concrete, when listed companies employing more than 500 people will be required to report on their responsibility to authorities in 2025. The sustainability reporting obligation is expected to expand in a limited form to SMEs as well, according to preliminary estimates, in 2027.
NFRD, CSRD — what is this directive jungle all about?
Sustainability reporting became an integral part of EU legislation in 2014, when the NFRD (Non-financial Reporting Directive), linked to national accounting law, came into force. The directive's aim was to guide large companies to report, in addition to financial statements, information and targets independent of financial metrics. The reporting seeks to promote sustainable development and business that supports the green transition, as well as to provide financiers with important information about the impact of a company's operations on the environment, people, and society. The challenge with reporting has been its superficiality, which is why the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), introduced in 2022, will this year transform NFRD reporting practices into something more comprehensive and consistent.
How will the increase in sustainability reporting obligations manifest itself in the construction industry in the future?
The largest construction companies act as trailblazers in their field, not least because sustainability obligations apply to them first. As obligations tighten, stakeholders will naturally also be required to operate more responsibly throughout the subcontracting chain, and soon no one in the supply chain will be able to turn a blind eye to changes promoting the green transition. If a contract partner does not meet the main contractor's sustainability standards, subcontractors' opportunities for collaboration may decrease significantly as a result, which will also force smaller operators to wake up to sustainability themes. Responsible business is also sustainably growing business, and in the future only those who incorporate responsibility into their business strategy — and ideally turn it into a competitive advantage — will succeed.
Find out how the sustainability of your contractor chain could be developed!
We will carry out a completely free assessment for your company, in which we go through your current processes related to external workforce and occupational safety together. In the final report, we present practical development proposals on how, with the help of Zeroni, we can ensure the sustainability of your subcontracting chain and first-class occupational safety.
Assessment stages:
Meeting: What is Zeroni, the most common challenges in safety management, identifying challenges and bottlenecks
Meeting: Analysis of the current state, clarifying objectives
Meeting: Presentation of the final report and development proposals
If you are interested in the assessment, get in touch with our sales team and let's start building better workforce management and safety processes for you together!
