An Action Paper to drive sustainable construction forward

By Saint-Gobain's Sustainable Construction Observatory’s – 2025

The Sustainable Construction Observatory’s 2025 Action Paper outlines six transformative issues to accelerate sustainable construction globally. Through a collaborative process involving international, multi-stakeholder leaders and experts, it proposes 13 priority actions structured to drive systemic change.

Action Paper

At a time when the built environment must accelerate its transformation, this Action Paper offers both a framework for reflection and a catalyst for action. It responds to the urgent need to scale sustainable construction by rallying all stakeholders across the construction value chain. 

Building on the analysis and dialogue led by the Sustainable Construction Observatory since its creation in April 2023, this document focuses on six priority issues identified as the most transformative levers for change. It is rooted in collective intelligence and structured around three key phases. The goal is not to be exhaustive, but to highlight this set of issues that appeared most capable of driving systemic transformation. 

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Six transformative issues to drive sustainable construction forward: 

1- Share A Common and Comprehensive Definition Framework for Sustainable Construction 

The concept of “sustainable construction” is now spreading in public discourse, development strategies, regulatory frameworks, and project briefs. The 2025 Sustainable Construction Barometer* reveals growing awareness of the concept — 67% of stakeholders worldwide stating they are familiar with this notion, an increase of +6 points on 2024 results. Yet it shows little consensus on what it actually entails. For a sector that needs to tackle the major environmental, social and economic challenges of our century, this lack of a common language is a structural obstacle. To accelerate the transition, we must move beyond fragmented interpretations and reclaim a holistic, actionable definition: one that aligns globally, adapts locally, and balances environmental performance with social equity and economic viability. 

2 - Strengthen Collaboration Between Stakeholders 

The transition to sustainable construction is not only one of the most urgent challenges facing the built environment. It is also among the most complex. But if the entire value chain can rally around shared objectives, sustainable construction holds the power to drive profound economic, environmental, and societal change. Yet the building value chain remains fragmented, complicating efforts to deliver on a fair and sustainable transition. Advancing sustainable construction requires coordinated collaboration across a wide and diverse ecosystem of stakeholders. This alignment is not only critical for effective implementation, but also for broader recognition of the sector’s role in addressing climate and societal challenges. 

3 - Fully Integrate Adaptation and Resilience into Sustainable Construction Approaches 

The transition to sustainable construction often focuses almost exclusively on environmental performance — energy efficiency, carbon reduction, material sourcing — while overlooking a critical dimension: adaptation and resilience, which plays a vital role in ensuring the health and well-being of communities. Indeed, in a world increasingly shaped by climate disruption, economic volatility, and social fragmentation, the ability of the built environment to withstand shocks, adapt to change, and support communities over time is no longer optional. Better integrating adaptation and resilience into sustainable construction requires acting differently today.  

4 - Develop Structured Approaches Tailored to the Needs of Emerging Economies 

Emerging markets and economies are at the forefront of the world’s urban and demographic transformation. By 2050, cities will welcome 2.5 billion additional people, according to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). This surge will be largely concentrated in a few countries, mostly in emerging economies. India alone is expected to add 416 million urban dwellers, followed by Nigeria (189 million). By 2028, New Delhi could become the world’s most populous city. Yet structured, context-specific approaches to sustainable construction remain largely to be developed. Participants in the online consultation** for this Action Paper stressed that while sustainable construction in emerging economies faces significant constraints, it also offers enormous potential.  

5 - Demonstrate The Economic Profitability of Sustainable Construction 

More than 1 in 3. That is the proportion of stakeholders worldwide who consider making sustainable materials, products and solutions more competitive as the number 1 action to be put in place to accelerate the development of sustainable construction, according to figures from the 2025 Sustainable Construction Barometer*. This indicator shows that, despite growing momentum, sustainable construction remains widely perceived as complex, more expensive, and difficult to scale up. This perception, often rooted in short-term budgeting rather than a long-term vision, continues to hamper investment, innovation, and adoption. 

6 - Transform the Perception of Sustainable Construction: From Compliance to Desirability 

Sustainable construction today stands at a crossroads. While it is widely acknowledged as necessary, it is still too often perceived as a constraint — a burden of regulation, cost, or technical complexity. This perception, highlighted by participants in the online consultation** conducted for this Action Paper, continues to slow its adoption and to frame it as something to endure rather than something to embrace. What if we shifted the way we communicate about sustainable construction? What if, beyond technical solutions and straightforward measures, we shared the story of what truly matters: how it can transform lives, communities, and cities, how it ensures comfort, well-being and risk reduction? 

Our collaborative approach

To lay the foundation, the Observatory drafted a first analysis to initiate the reflection on the six transformative issues. A panel of recognized leaders and expert reviewers was then invited to challenge and enrich this initial analysis. Selected for their diverse and complementary perspectives, they deepened the proposed analysis for the six transformative issues. Their insights, gathered through interviews, helped refine the strategic framing of each issue. 

Contributors: 

  • Hélène Chartier, Director of Urban Planning and Design, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
  • Ryan Colker, Executive Director, Energy, Resilience & Innovation, International Code Council
  • Antonio da Costa e Silva, Chief International Adviser, Ministry of Cities of Brazil; Lead Urban Affairs Coordinator for COP30
  • Dr. Jon Creyts, CEO, RMI
  • Jonathan Duwyn, Programme Officer, Lead, Buildings and Construction, UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
  • Lena Hök, Chief Sustainability & Innovation Officer, Executive Vice President, Skanska Group
  • Roland Hunziker, Director, Built Environment, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
  • Natalia Moudrak, Managing Director, Climate Risk Advisory, Aon
  • Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity International
  • Anacláudia Rossbach, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
  • Monica Schroeder, Vice President of Global Engagement, Build Change
  • Peter Templeton, President and CEO, U.S. Green Building Council / Green Business Certification Inc. 

Listening to the ecosystem 

From August 25 to September 24, 2025, a large-scale digital consultation was conducted by Bluenove, a leading expert in collaborative digital engagement, among members of the Sustainable Construction Observatory’s international community. Through an online platform, participants were invited to assess the relative urgency and systemic impact of the six proposed issues, and to contribute insights by responding to a set of questions designed to explore these topics in depth. This inclusive approach ensured that diverse voices from across the value chain helped shape the international relevance of the Action Paper. 

  • 207 participants from the sustainable construction ecosystem took part in the digital Consultation
  • 1,797 responses collected and analyzed
  • Across 36 different countries 

Building together: a collaborative workshop 

On September 22, 2025, alongside Climate Week NYC, a high‑level workshop brought together a select group of 35 global leaders from construction, architecture, policy, finance, and civil society. The session focused on co-designing actionable priorities for each of the six issues identified. Participants were asked to formulate operational proposals, ensuring that the outcome would translate into concrete, implementable actions. Structured in working groups, participants defined one to three priority actions per theme, drawing on their expertise and shared ambition to scale sustainable solutions. These priority actions are not exhaustive; they mark a focused first step toward broader collective action. The collective roadmap presented in this Action Paper is the direct outcome of this collaborative workshop. 

  • 35 participants contributed to the high-level workshop
  • Divided into 6 tables, to reflect on the key issues
  • 13 priority actions collectively identified 

FAQ

The future of human communities is deeply linked to the construction sector, which sits at the crossroads of social, demographic, energy, and climate challenges. Successfully addressing these issues requires a profound transformation of the industry toward more sustainable construction. Construction that combines performance, sustainability and resilience: throughout its life cycle, it contributes positively to the health and well-being of people on jobsites and indoors, has a reduced environmental footprint over its whole life cycle, is resilient to extreme weather hazards, and delivers superior economic value and quality

The purpose of Saint-Gobain's Sustainable Construction Observatory is to drive and accelerate this transition toward sustainable construction on a global scale. By bringing together all stakeholders, from professionals, institutions, and citizens, it seeks to foster collaboration and shared knowledge across the sector.  

The 2025 Action Paper is a publication by Saint-Gobain’s Sustainable Construction Observatory that serves as both a framework for reflection and a catalyst for action. It identifies the most transformative levers to scale sustainable construction and rally stakeholders across the entire construction value chain. Rooted in collective intelligence, it focuses on six priority issues and offers practical, actionable insights to drive systemic change in the built environment.  

The Action Paper highlights six transformative issues that appeared most capable of driving systemic transformation: 

  1. Share a Common and Comprehensive Definition Framework for Sustainable Construction

  2. Strengthen Collaboration Between Stakeholders

  3. Fully Integrate Adaptation and Resilience into Sustainable Construction Approaches

  4. Develop Structured Approaches Tailored to the Needs of Emerging Economies 

  5. Demonstrate the Economic Profitability of Sustainable Construction

  6. Transform the Perception of Sustainable Construction: from compliance to desirability. 

The Action Paper constitutes an additional step in the advancement of sustainable construction, providing a structured framework on which stakeholders can build and coordinate their efforts. By identifying six priority issues and 13 concrete actions, it offers a reference point to guide ongoing collaboration, inform strategic decision-making, and support the collective pursuit of systemic transformation across the construction value chain. 

The Action Paper was developed through a multi-step collaborative process: 

  • Leaders and expert reviewers: 12 international leaders in the sector deepened the proposed analysis for the six transformative issues. Their insights, gathered through interviews, helped refine the strategic framing of each issue.
  • Digital consultation: 207 participants from 36 countries provided 1,797 responses, providing insights through a series of questions designed to examine these topics in depth.
  • Collaborative workshop: 35 global leaders structured in working groups worked on co-designed priority actions for each issue during a workshop alongside Climate Week NYC 2025.

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Interview with Benoit Bazin, Chairman and CEO of Saint-Gobain

Sources

*Occurence-Ifop survey carried out in 27 countries on behalf of Saint-Gobain’s Sustainable Construction Observatory. 

**Digital consultation conducted by Bluenove among 207 members of the Sustainable Construction Observatory community from August 25 to September 26, 2025