Increased timber construction

The election manifesto establishes that building with greater societal steering should become environmentally smart and store carbon instead of emitting carbon dioxide – which is exactly the substitution and carbon reduction argument in the counter-proposal. Research on modern timber construction technology and adapted building regulations are means for that commitment. The plan at the same time holds fast that biomass is a limited resource that should be prioritized wisely, which is a condition rather than an obstacle.

• climate-smart building as carbon sinkdecisive»Med större kontroll och planering från samhällets sida, kan byggandet både öka i takt och bli miljösmart och lagra kol istället för att släppa ut koldioxid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With greater control and planning from society's side, building can both increase in pace and become environmentally smart and store carbon instead of emitting carbon dioxide.”
• limited biomass»Biomassan är en begränsad resurs, särskilt i« (party programme ↗)“Biomass is a limited resource, especially in”
• wise prioritization of forest raw material»att prioritera användningen av den klokt.« (party programme ↗)“to prioritize its use wisely.”
• forest raw material for lasting products»Den skog som avverkas måste användas klokt där endast restprodukter ska användas till biobränsle.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The forest that is harvested must be used wisely where only residual products should be used for biofuel.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme makes research investments, legislation and economic instruments the most important tools in a strategic environmental policy, and sees the transformation as a driving force for growth through demand for resource-efficient technology. The election manifesto wants Sweden to go ahead and increase green state investments. Efforts on timber construction research and adapted building regulations are an application of this, even if timber construction is not particularly mentioned.

• research and legislation as climate instrumentsdecisive»forskningssatsningar, lagstiftning och olika ekonomiska styrmedel är de viktigaste« (party programme ↗)“research investments, legislation and various economic instruments are the most important”
• go ahead for climate and jobs»Genom att gå före kan Sverige göra en insats både för klimatet och för tillväxten i vårt land.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“By going ahead Sweden can make a contribution both for the climate and for growth in our country.”
• green investments»Öka de gröna statliga investeringarna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase green state investments.”
• transformation drives growth»Omställningen till en ekologiskt hållbar utveckling är en stark drivkraft för ekonomisk« (party programme ↗)“Transformation to ecologically sustainable development is a strong driving force for economic”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme explicitly supports research to develop new environmentally friendly forest products, and the plan wants to see climate-smart construction and extensive investments in sustainable buildings. Research on modern timber construction technology and adapted building regulations are therefore in line with the plan. The demand for more clearcut-free forestry is a refinement of raw material extraction, not a barrier to timber construction.

• research on new forest productsdecisive»Vi stödjer och uppmuntrar forskning och« (party programme ↗)“We support and encourage research and”
• climate-smart residential construction»bygga fler klimatsmarta hyresrätter med rimliga hyror, utveckla och utöka investeringsstödet som gjorde det billigare att bygga« (2022 manifesto ↗)“build more climate-smart rental apartments with reasonable rents, develop and expand the investment support that made it cheaper to build”
• investments in sustainable construction»behövs omfattande investeringar i energieffektivisering av befintlig bebyggelse, i kollektivtrafik,« (party programme ↗)“extensive investments are needed in energy efficiency of existing buildings, in public transport,”
• considerate forestry»att mer skogsbruk bedrivs med hyggesfria metoder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“that more forestry is conducted using clearcut-free methods.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan points to the forest as the source of tomorrow's building materials and as a key to the green transition, and wishes climate benefits to be given greater weight without expensive and complicated regulations. Research into modern timber construction technology and a stepwise adaptation of building codes is a direct application of this. The plan's goal of a more circular economy strengthens the conclusion.

• timber as future building materialdecisive»Den lagrar koldioxid, skapar jobb och är källan till framtidens biobränslen och byggmaterial.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It stores carbon dioxide, creates jobs and is the source of future biofuels and building materials.”
• faster regulation for climate benefit»Klimatet kan inte vänta på dyra och krångliga regelverk.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The climate cannot wait for expensive and complicated regulations.”
• circular economy»Sverige ska bli världens mest resurseffektiva land och ekonomin mer cirkulär.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall become the world's most resource-efficient country and the economy more circular.”
• innovation for climate»Företagens innovationskraft är nödvändig för att Sverige och resten av världen ska bli kvitt sitt beroende av fossil energi och övervinna klimathotet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Enterprise's innovative power is necessary for Sweden and the rest of the world to rid ourselves of our dependence on fossil energy and overcome the climate threat.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan establishes that the forest's potential in renewable materials shall be captured and that technical development is a central part of the solution to environmental problems. Investments in research on modern timber construction technology and adapted building regulations follow directly from that. The plan's line that building standards should be simplified also supports a gradual adaptation for new timber-based methods.

• forest's potential is captureddecisive»Skogens potential inom förnybara material, kemiska produkter, textilier och energiproduktion« (party programme ↗)“The forest's potential in renewable materials, chemical products, textiles and energy production”
• technological development solves environmental problems»Teknisk utveckling är en central del av lösningen på dagens miljöproblem.« (party programme ↗)“Technical development is a central part of the solution to today's environmental problems.”
• new technology as climate solution»Medan andra gröna partier grundades för att stoppa tillväxten vet vi att ny teknik och nya lösningar är en del av lösningen på klimatutmaningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“While other green parties were founded to stop growth we know that new technology and new solutions are part of the solution to the climate challenge.”
• simplified building standards»Byggnormerna bör förenklas« (party programme ↗)“Building standards should be simplified”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan identifies recyclable building materials and resource-efficient solutions as important strategies for reducing the environmental impact of construction and requires that buildings' environmental load be assessed from a lifecycle perspective. Wood is exactly such a renewable and reusable material. The plan also establishes that forestry is an important base industry that needs long-term rules, which supports the research investment and adapted building regulations.

• recyclable building materialsdecisive»målet att uppnå en hållbar utveckling. Återvinningsbara och hälsodeklarerade byggmaterial, användning« (party programme ↗)“the goal of achieving sustainable development. Recyclable and health-declared building materials, use”
• lifecycle perspective in construction»Bostäders belastning på miljön ur ett livscykelperspektiv ska beaktas.« (party programme ↗)“The environmental load of homes from a lifecycle perspective shall be considered.”
• forests as a base industry»Skogsbruket och den därmed sammanhängande förädlingsindustrin är sedan länge en viktig svensk« (party programme ↗)“Forestry and the associated processing industry have long been an important Swedish”
• long-term rules for forests»hållbara spelregler som främjar såväl produktions- som« (party programme ↗)“sustainable rules that promote both production as well as”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The counter-proposal requires investment in research in modern timber construction technology and that building regulations are gradually adapted for timber-based materials. The plan highlights that forest and forest products bind nearly as much carbon dioxide as Sweden emits, that more forest should be used, not less, and wants to simplify the building regulations and take advantage of Swedish companies' green innovations. The plan therefore supports the demand.

• forest products bind carbon dioxidedecisive»Den svenska skogen och produkter från skogen binder årligen nästan lika mycket koldioxid som Sverige släpper ut under ett helt år.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Swedish forest and forest products bind annually nearly as much carbon dioxide as Sweden emits during a whole year.”
• used forest»mer skog ska brukas, inte mindre« (2022 manifesto ↗)“more forest should be used, not less”
• modernised building regulations»Ersätta avancerade detaljplaner med enklare byggplaner« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Replace advanced detailed plans with simpler building plans”
• green innovations»Svenska företag är i framkant för nya gröna innovationer« (party programme ↗)“Swedish companies are in the forefront of new green innovations”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan states that new sustainable products from forest raw materials should be developed and explicitly mentions building materials, and links this to active forestry. It also wants to facilitate new construction by reviewing building standards. The counter-proposal's demand for research on modern timber construction technology and adapted building regulations thus falls within the plan's commitments.

• new products from forest raw materialsdecisive»Vi behöver utveckla nya hållbara produkter ur råvara från skogen, exempelvis bränslen, byggmaterial, textilier och olika slags plaster.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We need to develop new sustainable products from forest raw materials, for example fuels, building materials, textiles and various types of plastics.”
• review building standards»Nybyggnation kan underlättas genom att se över byggnormer och öka konkurrensen på byggmarknaden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“New construction can be facilitated by reviewing building standards and increasing competition in the construction market.”
• active forestry»Omställningen till ett mer fossilfritt samhälle främjas av ett aktivt skogsbruk.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The transition to a more fossil-free society is promoted by active forestry.”
• managed forest»Värna skogsägarnas rätt att bruka sina skogar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect forest owners' right to manage their forests”