Sustainable and non-hazardous materials (GRI)

Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary (GRI 103-1)

The precautionary principle is central to environmental legislation as well as international standards and principles such as the UN Global Compact and ecolabelling. Bonava defines sustainable and non-hazardous materials as materials that do the least harm to the external environment, are non-hazardous to the health of the people that handle them, and do not have a negative impact on the indoor environment. New variations of materials and components are continuously being developed, and legislation does not always keep up. By ecolabelling housing units, Bonava safeguards the precautionary principle and contributes to UN SDG target:

• 12.8 By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature

Management Approach (GRI 103-2)

Bonava applies ecolabelling and certification, either directly or as a benchmark for internal processes and requirements and has a goal of ecolabelling 50 per cent of all housing starts in the Nordic countries by 2020. The Nordic Swan ecolabel is a well-known consumer label that supports repeatability by licensing the entire production process and is therefore Bonava’s first choice. Nordic Swan eco-labelling is only applicable to buildings in the Nordics. Bonava applies Nordic Swan ecolabelling requirements in all tendering at Group level and adds further suitable local certifications where relevant. All housing units in new projects, projects granted production start in Sweden will be Nordic Swan eco-labelled.

Bonava reports yearly for GRI indicator 417-1 Requirements for product and service information and labelling.