Emissions database for building construction
This data harmonizes the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions across the entire lifecycle of buildings, simplifying the design of low-carbon solutions. Moreover, these calculations enable setting specific numerical objectives. The emissions database constitutes an integral component of the CO2data service. The maintenance and development of the emissions database are managed by the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke).
Emissions data for construction products, processes and services
The Emissions database for building construction provides information on the harmful and beneficial climate impacts of buildings and construction sites. By utilizing this data, it is possible to assess the carbon footprint of a building in accordance with the requirements of a climate report. The service includes general information on hundreds of building products as well as dozens of processes and services.
The service provides the following information:
- Carbon footprint of building products
- Biogenic carbon storage of building products
- Carbonation of building products
- Carbon handprint of building products
- Material waste factors on construction sites
- Emission data for waste management and recycling of building products
- Service life assumptions for building components
- Emissions data for systems
- Emissions data for transportation
- Emissions data for construction
- Emissions data for building demolition
- Emissions data for energy sources and future carbon footprint scenarios for the coming decades
The database compiles average data on the most common and typical building products. The emission data in the database is based on public sources such as environmental product declarations (EPDs), studies, and research (e.g., RTS, EPD, EPD Norge, Environdec, IBU, ÖkobauDat, ICE, VTT, IVL). These sources have been compared, selected, and averaged in collaboration with experts from the building materials industry.
Data on construction, transportation, demolition, and waste management is primarily based on Finnish statistics and studies. The service does not include information on individual commercial products; instead, it provides generic data representing Finnish construction. The goal is to cover the most essential generic products, services, and processes for emission calculations, meaning not every possible product is included in the database.
In addition to product- and service-specific emission data, the service contains background studies. The database includes hundreds of entries, and the data is continuously updated based on identified needs.
The database serves professionals in the construction sector
The emissions database for construction primarily serves professionals in the construction industry such as designers, product manufacturers, and construction companies. However, the information is also valuable for researchers and others interested in the climate impacts of construction. The emissions database has already been integrated into numerous calculation tools. Collaboration with professionals in the construction industry has been intensive since the development phase of the service, even before its release in 2021. The service is free for all users.
The Building Act guides low-carbon construction
The new Building Act mandates the preparation of a climate report and a building component list for certain new buildings. The regulation on the climate report and building component list will take effect on January 1, 2026. A regulation on threshold values is currently being prepared.
The Building construction emission database enables the preparation of climate reports and the comparable calculation of emissions for different design alternatives. The maintenance of the national emission database is stipulated in the Building Act. The database is regularly updated to reflect evolving information and changes in the operating environment as products and services continue to develop.
Assessment of a building's low-carbon footprint
The Ministry of the Environment has developed a method for assessing a building's low-carbon footprint, based on the European Commission's Level(s) framework and EN standards. The assessment of low-carbon construction is further specified in the regulation on the climate report and building component list (1027/2024). The final guidelines for the assessment method will be published no later than when the regulation comes into force on January 1, 2026.
Content and methods
Further information on the methods and development of the Emissions database for building construction
Feedback and questions
You can send feedback and questions via email to CO2data(at)syke.fi. Alternatively, you can submit your feedback using the feedback form.