Luxembourg launches project to reduce carbon footprint in construction
Lance Anderson, Unsplash
On 24 March 2025, Luxembourg officially launched the national phase of the European INDICATE LIFE project, a large-scale initiative aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the construction sector. The event took place at the headquarters of the Order of Architects and Consulting Engineers (OAI) and brought together key players in the construction industry, ministry representatives and international experts.
The project focuses on the development of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools for buildings and the development of national carbon footprint calculation methodologies to meet new EU environmental requirements - in particular the forthcoming Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
Construction is one of the most emission-heavy sectors of the economy today. But the true climate load of a building is not just construction, but also operation, maintenance, repairs, refurbishment and disposal. The INDICATE LIFE project aims to cover this entire lifecycle and create standardised assessment methodologies to account for every gram of CO₂.
The work will be carried out in close co-operation with Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary, also participating in the project. This means that the methods developed will not only be national but also compatible with European norms, which is essential for cross-border projects and international data comparison.
In Luxembourg, the implementation of the project is coordinated:
- Ministry of Economy
- CDEC (Conseil pour le développement économique de la construction) - NGO working on sustainable development of the sector
- Bureau Energie et Environnement SA, representing the interests of OAI
- LIST Research Institute (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology)
The project has received 275,000 euros of co-financing from the European Commission, which will provide not only technical but also organisational support for the implementation of the tasks.
Today's construction often relies on fragmented or outdated emissions data, and this hinders effective decision-making. INDICATE LIFE aims to create a single tool for accurate, understandable and comparable assessment. This can influence the development of new standards, building certification, the formation of government subsidies and real estate investment strategies.
