Climate declaration

A climate declaration is a mandatory document that must be produced in most construction projects subject to a building permit from 1 January 2026 in Finland. In practice, the report provides information on the project’s carbon footprint. The continuation of the legislation is to gradually tighten the permitted carbon footprint limits for buildings and thus contribute to achieving an overall reduction.

A climate declaration may include, for example:

• Greenhouse gas emissions assessment: how much carbon dioxide, methane or other emissions are produced.
• Climate impact analysis: how the project affects climate change at different stages of the life cycle and which factors may reduce the resulting burden.
• Allocation of results to different categories of intended use: if a building has multiple íntended use categories, emissions must be allocated per each intended use category.
• Taking into account legislation and targets: the long-term goals of both the EU and Finland are to achieve net zero emissions.

A climate declaration can also be prepared for projects other than construction projects. In this case, it serves as part of a broader environmental impact assessment or as a separate report when transparent and verifiable presentation of the project’s climate impacts is important.

Furthermore, the upcoming Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) will tighten EU‑wide requirements by introducing whole‑life carbon calculations—effectively a climate declaration for new buildings—from 2027 and progressively moving all new buildings toward zero‑emission standards.