The world has come together to embark on a journey towards sustainability. The United Nations has defined sustainability as the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. As a result, the Global Agenda, Global Goals or Sustainable Development Goals have been established to achieve this common objective.
In 2015, the United Nations adopted 17 goals and 169 targets as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all people by 2030. These goals aim to improve the former Millennium Development Goals, which were not achieved in the previous period. They are integrated and indivisible and balance sustainable development’s economic, social, and environmental dimensions.
Reincarnate is a European project dedicated to developing social and technical means to promote circularity in the construction industry. Our efforts are aligned with the Global Agenda and are specifically focused on contributing to achieving goals 9, 12 and 17. Goal 9 aims to foster innovation and infrastructure in industry, while goal 12 aims to encourage responsible consumption and production. Lastly, goal 17 emphasises the importance of partnerships to achieve sustainable development.
9 SDG
At Reincarnate, we believe in building resilient infrastructure and promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation through innovation. Our research and innovation project is actively upgrading the technological capabilities of the construction sector, empowering our stakeholders with our CP-IM decision-making platform. By 2026, our ultimate goal is to facilitate collecting and tracking information on construction and demolition waste to make it possible to reuse 50% of what would otherwise be considered waste.
12 SDG
Our main goal is to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns by developing innovative technologies that respect our planetary boundaries. We aim to implement circular practices in the construction industry and reduce waste generation by preventing, reducing, recycling, and reusing materials and components. Our sustainable solutions are designed to decrease construction and demolition waste by up to 80%.
17 SDG
Partnerships are crucial to summarise the strength of Reincarnate. We are a partnership of 16 multidisciplinary organisations from 8 countries working together for 48 months towards a common goal. We aim to revolutionise the construction industry by developing technical and social means to establish reincarnation practices within the sector. We are committed to collaborating and sharing knowledge and experience to achieve this goal.
Understanding the Sustainable Development Goals
Throughout October, we promoted the 2023 report that the United Nations released in July on our social media channels. We aimed to raise awareness about the collective effort needed to make sustainability a reality. The report emphasises the need for a fundamental shift in commitment, solidarity, financing and action to put the world on a better path, and this action is needed now.
According to the report, we are currently at the midpoint on our way to 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) need help. Approximately half of the around 140 targets, for which trend data is available, are moderately or severely off track, and over 30% have either seen no progress or regressed below the 2015 baseline. In other words, there is a universal lack of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Regarding the SDGs upheld by Reincarnate, global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from energy combustion and industrial processes increased by 0.9% to a new all-time high of 36.8 billion metric tons. This increase is well below global GDP growth and reverts to a decade-long trend of decoupling emissions and economic growth. Furthermore, international cooperation on sustainable consumption and production is rising while reporting is dwindling. In addition, we are currently facing a polycrisis (conflicts, climate change, and a pandemic) concerning partnerships.
Science as a key driver in sustainability and communication as an enabler
Access to knowledge, technology and opportunities for scientific contribution is crucial to confront crises. However, the United Nations report highlights the need to improve such access, including through strengthened technology transfer. Creative solutions for removing paywalls and sharing knowledge should be scaled up, and public-private partnerships must boost digital infrastructure investments while ensuring that appropriate regulatory frameworks are in place.
At Reincarnate, we are committed to sharing our research and innovations, and promoting circularity in the construction industry through our campaigns. We participate in initiatives, activities and events such as “Sustainable Places” to encourage our community to engage in the transformation towards sustainability and to understand our business models.
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