Overarching goals for 2030
Healthy soil and the microorganisms that live in healthy soil create natural soil functions that are important for humans and all other living organisms. This includes the production of biomass, such as food, the storage and filtration of water, the storage and recycling of nutrients, the availability of habitat and carbon sequestration. According to the EU Soil Strategy for 2030, however, our soils are suffering, they are unhealthy, and increasingly they are deteriorating due to processes such as erosion, compaction, a decline in organic matter, pollution, the loss of biodiversity, salinisation, acidification and sealing. Healthy soil takes centuries or even millennia to develop, so once its condition deteriorates drastically, it cannot be reestablished or regenerated.
The vision of the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 is that all soil ecosystems in the EU will be healthy and resilient by 2050. Long- and medium-term goals have been defined in order to achieve this vision. The targets that need emphasising for the building sector by 2050 are net zero land consumption and the reduction of soil pollution to a level that is no longer harmful to human health and natural ecosystems. In addition, by this date, degraded land, soils and carbon-rich ecosystems should be restored and soils should contribute to a net greenhouse gas reduction in the EU of 310 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. By 2030, significant progress towards the remediation of contaminated soils will already be evident and, according to the German Sustainability Strategy, land consumption in Germany will be reduced to 30 hectares per day.
Our Objectives
4.1 Stop land consumption
Extensions, new buildings and the further sealing of land
4.2 Establish soil compensation measures
Unavoidable sealing of soil is compensated for by restoring the capacity of disturbed soils in suitable locations, covering at least the same area.
4.3 Minimise adverse effects on soils
Steps should be taken to avoid negative impacts on soil functions directly on site caused by the supply chain (☼), compaction, pollutant input and the improper handling of soil material during building operation and the construction phase.
4.4 Enhance soil function
The properties of soil on site support the effective functioning of soil or show significant improvement compared to the condition of soil during initial assessment.
Note: The ☼ symbol indicates objectives that should ideally by realised but either involve a great deal of effort to implement or can only be demonstrated using methods that are not yet established.