From fossil fueled manufacturing to reducing emissions by half

The European Green Capital (EGCA) 2021 Lahti is going through an intensive transition to become carbon neutral in 2025. Paving is one of the activities that has affected the city’s emission targets. Last year emissions from paving were cut in half when Lahti asphalted its streets with 10,000 tons of ECO-Asfalt.

The city of Lahti has set ambitious environmental goals in order to be carbon neutral in 2025. This requires collaboration and investments from different actors. Lahti and Peab work closely together and Peab was the city’s principle partner when it was the EGCA last year.

The goal is to find and develop new solutions that reduce greenhouse gases emissions together. The first step is ECO-Asfalt which was launched in Finland through Peab’s asphalt plant in Lahti. In the production of ECO-Asfalt in Lahti, fossil fuel is replaced by biofuel generated from food leftovers. This single measure cuts carbon emissions in half.

Last year 10,000 tons of ECO-Asfalt were used to pave the streets of Lahti, which is the equivalent of about seven kilometers of road. This led to a savings of 171,100 kilos carbon dioxide equivalents, which can be compared to driving more than a million kilometers in a car.

“Reducing emissions from asphalt is a real step towards Lahti’s goal of being carbon neutral in 2025. Reaching this goal requires collaboration and investments from different actors. Peab’s ECO-Asfalt is a good example of how, with a simple measure, we can significantly affect asphalt emissions. Companies like Peab play an important role when it comes to investing in and developing and testing new solutions,” says Saara Vauramo, from the City of Lahti and Program Manager for Lahti – EGCA 2021.