The impact of materials

When we stick the first spade into the soil and start construction of a new housing development, the building blocks have already been planned down to the finest detail. This solid groundwork is extremely important for the way the completed homes will be experienced, and the impact they will have on people, the environment and climate.

One important step in our sustainability work is to evaluate, choose and check/monitor our suppliers. JM not only seeks to ensure that all companies we sign contracts with comply with fundamental statutory requirements. We also aim to be a driving force in spurring the development of innovative sustainability solutions within those sectors we have influence over. As we are a large organization, the changes we are driving through in the supply chain also have great penetrative power.

JM specifies requirements and checks compliance

JM specifies a number of sustainability requirements when we sign contracts with our suppliers. Many of these requirements are also required by the Swan ecolabel that JM has included in all projects started since 2018. The requirement that a material may not contain chemicals hazardous for the environment or human health is one such example. That all timber must be traceable to exclude illegal logging in the value chain is another. Other requirements concern quality in the construction process, to minimize the risk of damp ingress in construction materials and that there is good ventilation. Our ongoing partnerships with suppliers are regularly monitored via questionnaires, reviews, site visits, and company and individual audits.

In 2018, JM included the Swan ecolabel in all new projects to be started. Many of the Swan requirements concern making it easier for residents to live well and also be caring about the planet in the long-term.

For example, a building should live up to tough requirements on energy efficiency, which helps reduce energy consumption. Energy efficient white goods are fitted as standard in JM homes. Swan labeled buildings should also offer proper facilities to sort waste for recycling. In addition to requirements linked to climate and the environment, the Swan label also supports health benefits, such as good daylight conditions and low noise levels.

Housing construction is incredibly materials intensive. The choice of materials makes a big difference to the impact a building has over its entire life cycle. Naturally enough, it is also important to make the most efficient use of all resources that are used on a construction site.

The key to resource efficient construction is to make the right purchase choices from the start. We continuously work to optimize our purchasing to ensure as little waste as possible at the end of the day.

We run and systematically evaluate trial projects. In one current project, we are testing the purchase of pre-cut plasterboard, that we can see reduces offcut waste, and by extension, significantly lowers our climate and environmental impact.

As the production of all materials puts stress on our planet, it is important that the materials that are produced have a long life cycle. Minimizing and sorting materials waste for recycling is a priority issue for JM and something we have been working with for a long time. We need to hasten development towards a circular economy, and in our case, this is being done at our construction sites.

JM has set a target of reducing our construction waste to 15 kg per square meter GFA (gross floor area) by 2030.

And we sort any waste that does arise for recycling. Our goal is for at least 80 percent of all construction waste to be sorted to enable the materials to be recycled.

In the case of products that are surplus in JM projects and that can be reused, such as timber, bricks, roof tiles, and doors, we work closely with local companies and organizations that can then sell them on to other companies or to private individuals.

Concrete – or to be more precise, the cement that is the binding agent in concrete – accounts for around 60–75 percent of the total climate impact of the construction process. The production of cement damages the eco-system and accounts for large emissions of carbon dioxide.

Many attempts are currently being made to produce climate enhanced concrete, i.e. with lower emissions than the concrete that is traditionally used today. At JM, we are performing trials with climate enhanced concrete (in line with the Svensk Betong definition) in a couple of our projects. We also have projects where we are building with timber-frames.

At JM, we believe concrete will continue to have a role to play in future building production, as the material creates robust housing that is very durable and enables a good indoor environment.