Robert Geryło, Ph.D.

Building Research Institute (ITB)

Director of the Institute of Building Technology (ITB). Member of the General Council of Research Institutes. President of the European Network of Building Research Institutes ENBRI. Vice Chairman of the Construction Committee of the National Chamber of Commerce. Chairman of the PKN Technical Committee for thermal insulation products in construction. He specializes in sustainable construction issues. He sees construction technology in Poland as one of the main areas for innovation implementation, and successful cooperation between science and business, responding to contemporary challenges of efficient use of energy and raw materials, and circular economy development.

“EU taxonomy in the construction industry”

According to Regulation (EU), 2020/852 of the European Parliament and the Council, the so-called EU taxonomy, investments, and economic activities that involve the construction or renovation of buildings are subject to assessment as to whether they qualify as environmentally sustainable. The taxonomy also applies to, among other things, the production of cement, steel, and aluminium and the manufacture of building products and installation components that increase the energy efficiency of buildings. The assessment scope includes environmental goals such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources, transition to a closed-loop economy, pollution prevention and control, and protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems. The taxonomy introduces new technical criteria to the construction industry, including carbon footprint and resource and energy efficiency throughout the life cycle of building products and structures.