A direct comparison of the contents of the EU taxonomy with the certification systems of the DGNB illustrates the high degree of correlation between the respective approaches. Since the publication of the finalised EU taxonomy regulation and the technical requirements, the DGNB has ensured that the requirements are fully integrated into new and further developments of its certification system.
In the 2023 version of the DGNB System for New Construction of Buildings, the requirements of the EU taxonomy and the DGNB System are harmonised in order to avoid parallel documentation efforts. The requirements are presented in the harmonisation documents.
In the DGNB System for New Construction of Buildings, 2018 version, ten of the total of 15 requirements can be verified through the certification documents. Conversely, compliance with the taxonomy would already account for around 10 per cent of the overall degree of fulfilment of a DGNB Certification. Regarding new construction, this mainly includes criteria for ecological, technical and process-related quality.
The comparison between the criteria of the taxonomy and the DGNB System in the area of renovation shows complete coverage. All evaluation criteria of the EU taxonomy are included in the DGNB System for Renovation of Buildings. Thus, these can be reliably tested and verified within the scope of a DGNB Certification.
The DGNB System for Buildings in Use thematically covers the requirements of the taxonomy for acquisition and ownership and thus enables reliable documentation within the framework of DGNB Certification. With its special focus on strategic climate action, DGNB provides all owners of existing buildings with an analysis and management tool to record the relevant information for buildings in a structured manner. In the case of current non-compliance with the taxonomy requirements, the DGNB System thus offers a sound basis for decision-making in order to achieve climate action goals economically and as sensibly as possible.
As the taxonomy requirements are part of the DGNB Systems for New Construction, Renovation and Buildings in Use, the ESG verification for the EU taxonomy is part of the DGNB Certification by default if specified in the certification application.
Study: Certified projects perform better in terms of their degree of fulfilment and assessment efforts
In addition, the DGNB, together with the Green Building Council España (GBCe), the Austrian Sustainable Building Council (ÖGNI) and the Green Building Council Denmark (DK-GBC), conducted a study on the marketability of the EU taxonomy in March 2021. The basis was the first version of the taxonomy criteria published in March 2020. One of the findings of this research was that certified buildings were able to demonstrate compliance more frequently, meaning they were better prepared to meet the requirements of the taxonomy. Certified buildings also had an advantage over non-certified buildings in terms of the time and effort required to complete the assessment. Learn more
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