Ecology

SWIETELSKY strives to reduce any negative impact on the environment and society and to actively contribute to solving social challenges in the field of ecology.

Greenhouse gas emissions

The consumption of fossil fuels represents the main contribution to our group-wide CO₂-footprint in our direct sphere of influence, known as scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions. The use of fuels from renewable sources for construction machinery and the vehicle fleet, as well as the electrification of processes, where this is possible without operational restrictions, while simultaneously increasing our own electricity production as part of the SWIETELSKY photovoltaic strategy, therefore form the cornerstones of our transition plan to reduce our own emissions.

Emissions in the area of so-called scope 3 emissions, i.e. emissions that arise in our upstream and downstream value chain but are attributable to SWIETELSKY's business activities, will be estimated in the coming financial years. Due to our primary business model as a construction service provider, the production of the building materials used (scope 3.1) and their transport to the construction site (scope 3.4) will account for a significant portion of scope 3 emissions.

Resource efficiency & circular economy

The construction industry's current, largely linear approach to business results in high resource and material consumption. The introduction of circular material use therefore represents an important opportunity for the entire industry to conserve natural resources while reducing costs in service provision.

Thanks to decades of experience and its involvement in the development of railway construction machinery for track renewal with integrated in-situ recycling of track ballast, our Railway Construction division has become a pioneer and European market leader in the field of mechanical track renewal. Growing awareness among clients of this ecologically and economically relevant form of direct resource conservation will open up additional market opportunities in the future.

In other business areas, there are still relevant regulatory and technical challenges to implementing circular concepts in the construction industry. SWIETELSKY is convinced that the circular economy can only be implemented logistically and economically feasible by involving as many stakeholders in the construction and infrastructure industry as possible, therefore SWIETELSKY is committed to exchanging best practices, engaging in dialogue with clients and further developing regulatory requirements and standards through industry associations.

Read our current Sustainability Statement 2024/25 from page 155 onwards.