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Hazardous Substances in building materials – a key issue in sustainable construction

Sustainable construction creates a base for sustainable, healthy, and safe city. However, substances of concern can be found in a huge range of building materials and products – from flooring to insulation, carpeting, joinery, paints and coatings, furniture and fabrics. These hazardous substances from building materials can leach out and can cause very negative effects on human’s health and health of the environment. Part of the problem is the lack of knowledge of the toxicity and another the deficiency in the legislation.

EU Interreg NonHazCity3 (NHC3) wish to tackle the challenge of hazardous substances in buildings, building sites and building materials. Project aims to increase the understanding about the chemicals in buildings and building materials, and how harmful substances can be taken better into account e.g., in the procurement process, to move towards sustainable and chemical smart future. NHC3 will contribute to a holistic perspective for the human health and the health of the environment.

Among the ambitious climate and circularity targets, City of Helsinki emphasizes the responsible procurement in the Procurement Strategy as well as in the Environment Policy. As a centre of a rapidly growing large metropolitan city area, Helsinki has acknowledged the construction to be a key procurement group with high impacts on citizens and nature. To achieve circular and carbon neutral buildings as well as to protect the Baltic Sea, Helsinki sees addressing the HS necessary.

Behalf of all NonHazCity3 partners, we have the pleasure to invite you to the first international workshop “Hazardous Substances in Building Materials” to be held on April 26th, 2023, in the Helsinki Congress Paasitorni.

The workshop is organised as part of the project’s networking activities to discuss hazardous substances in building materials, the potential clash of interests between toxfree, circular and climate-neutral and how to get adequate information on construction materials. We wish your expertise and contribution to the workshop especially indicating the key elements how to succeed with tox-free and climate neutral circular economy in construction project, the “Hot spots” in buildings from HS application and content perspective, and the ways to increase the information about the optimal materials regarding e.g., tox-free, climate neutrality, costs and technical demands.

In case of interest in the workshop please contact project manager Normunds Vagalis (normunds.vagalis(at)riga.lv)

Draft agenda of the event can be found here.

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