Macro-level Changes: Initial Assessment of the Impact of aVoluntary Sustainability Programmeon the Danish Construction Industry

Increasing demands for sustainable design solutions have fostered a myriad of certification systems (GxN and Danish Building Research Institute, 2018). Sustainability certification systems quantify designs based on predefined criteria and are gaining momentum due to market demand. The DGNB assessment methodology is widely used in the Danish building industry today (Green Building Council Denmark, 2021). An aim of the current Danish climate strategy is to reduce greenhouse gases by 70% from 1990 levels by 2030. As part of this strategy, the Danish Government introduced the voluntary sustainability class (VSC) in May 2020 to be included in Danish Building Regulations by 2023. The VSC will be optional until 2023, and after 2023 it will become a mandatory part of the Danish Building Regulations (Bolig og Planstyrelsen, 2021). The VSC could serve as a central element in the transition of the building industry towards sustainable buildings and urban designs. The present study adopts a multi-level perspective (MLP), which is a transition framework. The VSC is an example of how a macro-level change, such as the green transition brought about by climate change, can aid in the transition to increased sustainability in a socio-technical system (Geels, 2002). Semi-structured interviews with experts from the construction industry were conducted to shed light on the potential possibilities and challenges associated with the new regulation; however, the present study did not consider whether amending the Danish Building Regulations could increase the sustainability of building projects. The results showed that certain factors, such as knowledge and prior experience of regulatory changes, could lessen the impact of any future change in regulations. In relation to the effect of the voluntary sustainability programme, the present study showed that the programme is most likely to target companies with a lower level of ambition regarding sustainable initiatives.