Wednesday, December 09, 2009 12:00
Skanska calls for a strong global deal at COP15 in Copenhagen
Together with many other international companies Skanska has taken several actions to urge for a strong, global deal at United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 15. The meeting is being held in Copenhagen December 7-18.
Most important is that Skanska, as the only Scandinavian company and only company from the construction sector, contributed to the development and is a co-signer of The Copenhagen Communiqué.
In the Communiqué, more than 850 international business leaders say: “These are difficult and challenging times for the international business community and a poor outcome from the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen will only make them more so, by creating uncertainty and undermining confidence.” The companies finish by stating: “The more ambitious the framework, the more business will deliver” but stress that “delay is not an option”.
Business is the only part of Civil Society that has the resources and skills to change how the world will look in the future.
Governments can help make it easier and move quicker, but most of the work will actually be done by a business of some kind.
“This is a crucial issue for business, the world needs to see more action and at a faster pace. A strong international framework is needed so that business can do what it does best – planning for the long-term and deploying our resources efficiently. When frameworks are not well defined, companies will probably avoid taking action.” says Johan Karlström, President and CEO of Skanska.
In conjunction with COP 15 in Copenhagen Skanska, together with its partner Norrporten, will host a meeting for business groups urging for a global deal. Skanska and Norrporten are supporting the meeting with its modern office facilities “Neroporten” situated between the airport and the city center of Copenhagen.
Buildings currently account for 40 percent of global carbon emissions during their lifetime, which is more than, for example, the automotive industry. Skanska has already the solutions and the ambition to lead the construction sector in lowering their impact on the climate.
“Skanska is committed to playing its part in helping society avoid dangerous climate change, we know that we can be an important part of the solution”, says Johan Karlström.
As a part of the effort to lower the impact from construction Skanska has established a unit for Green Business that will work to enhance the green offering for Skanska’s customers. This may include solutions and agreements regarding continuous upgrades to ensure that a property remains as energy efficient as possible, even years after it were constructed or renovated.
“Climate Change needs to be continuously discussed and the benefits of energy efficient solutions highlighted. We encourage customers to a dialogue on how we can reduce the dangerous climate change together,” says Cecilia Fasth, Green Business Officer (GBO) and head of Skanska Green Business.
The full text of the Copenhagen Communiqué, along with the
complete list of supporting companies, is available at: www.copenhagencommunique.com.
Skanska AB may be required to disclose the information provided herein pursuant to the Securities Markets Act.
Skanska is one of the world’s leading construction groups with expertise in construction, development of commercial and residential projects and public-private partnerships. The Group currently has 60,000 employees in selected home markets in Europe, in the US and Latin America. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, Skanska's sales in 2006 totaled SEK 126 billion.
Skanska Commercial Development Europe is one out of 14 business units within Skanska. The mission is to initiate and develop real estate projects such as office buildings, and logistic facilities. The main focus of operations is the large metropolitan areas in Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. Skanska Commercial Development Europe is divided into three local companies: Skanska Property Czech Republic, Skanska Property Hungary and Skanska Property Poland. More information about Skanska Commercial Development Europe can be found at www.skanska.com/property.
Skanska Property Czech Republic, s.r.o., a subsidiary of the Swedish company Skanska Commercial Development Europe (SCDE), is an experienced developer focusing on development of commercial real estate. The company has been operating on the Czech market since 1997 and has developed a number of office buildings and retail warehouses in the Prague area. Currently the company is developing office projects in Prague and in Ostrava and a large logistic park is being designed for construction outside Prague.The company manages the projects from concept over the lease of the buildings to its sale. Office building Nordica Ostrava was the first one in Czech Republic awarded the GreenBuilding certificate for energy efficiency. More information about Skanska Property Czech Republic can be found at www.skanska.cz/property.
Construction and development Skanska Group in the Czech and Slovak republic is a part of the global concern Skanska with headquarters in Sweden. The basic subject of activity consists of all fields of construction, development and sale of residential projects and commercial properties, administration of assets and associated services. The holding is headed by the company Skanska CS a.s. with subsidiary joint-stock companies Skanska CZ for general construction, Skanska DS for civil construction, Skanska Reality for development, in particular residential, and Skanska Servis for servicing activities. More information can be found at www.skanska.cz.
Contact information
Contact: Dana Hrdinová,
Company: Tiskové centrum Skanska
Telephone: +420 737 255 016
E-mail: Dana Hrdinová »