Waste produced by office building tenants is an important component of calculating the carbon footprint of an organization, but also of the office building itself. In order to manage it better, Skanska’s commercial development business unit in CEE has partnered with the WasteTracker startup. Its creators have developed a tool of the same name – an intelligent waste tracker that helps monitor and report waste streams, and thus plays an important role in the process of responsible building management. This system will operate throughout Skanska's current portfolio in this part of Europe.
WasteTracker is an intuitive, easy-to-use tool designed by experts from the real estate industry. It consists of a weighing terminal, using employee access cards in a given building, and an analytical system. Waste is weighed and recorded before being placed in building containers. Each tenant has direct access to the analytical system, thanks to which they know how many kilograms of waste is generated in the company, as well as can visualize the carbon footprint generated by it, divided into fractions.
Importantly, the tool will support users in refining waste management strategies. Tenants can analyze data together with WasteTracker and select the most appropriate actions in the field of education and promotion of good practices in waste reduction, reuse or segregation. This is the first such solution in Europe.
– The increasing amounts of waste we produce are a huge problem for the natural environment of our planet. And since we spend a large part of our lives at work, we generate some of this waste while performing professional duties, for example while being in the office. This is one of the reasons why we decided to partner with WasteTracker – says Monika Chacińska, Environmental and Sustainability Manager at Skanska’s commercial development business unit in CEE. – This innovative solution will also support the tenants of our office buildings in implementing their ESG strategies and CSRD reporting, and will allow us to understand how to better adapt our investments to the requirements of the circular economy – adds Monika Chacińska.
– Growing environmental requirements, but also the needs of tenants, mean that the process of managing office buildings must also undergo transformation. Today, this cannot be done without using appropriate tools, such as WasteTracker. As a responsible developer, we want to actively participate in shaping good practices in the field of waste management and provide our partners with appropriate resources – says Łukasz Kwieciński, Customer Satisfaction & Property Management Director at Skanska’s commercial development business unit in CEE.
– Attempting to eliminate waste without accurately measuring it is like trying to drive safely in a car without a speedometer. Those who do not understand whether they exceed certain standards and pose a threat on the road do not take their foot off the gas. WasteTracker helps to measure the actual production of waste at the beginning, and then helps understand the data using benchmarks and knowledge of the Zero Waste strategy. As part of the cooperation, we indicate the most important areas for improvement, e.g. whether it is the total amount of waste or perhaps deviations between recyclables. A building with 90% mixed waste will adopt a different Zero Waste strategy than one that generates 30% bio-waste. We are very pleased that Skanska has decided to implement our system in all buildings in its portfolio. In ESG activities, we need actions with a wide reach, otherwise we have no chance of achieving zero emissions by 2050 – comments Renata Hartle, CEO and co-founder of WasteTracker.
– In today’s real estate and business landscape, waste isn’t just a sustainability issue—it’s a financial and reputational one. With increasing regulatory pressures and consumer demand for transparency, managing and preventing waste efficiently has become a critical driver of long-term success. The ability to track, reduce, and report waste accurately isn’t just good for the environment – it’s essential for staying competitive and resilient in a rapidly changing market – says Solène Fargeix, Business Development Manager at Mission Zero Academy, a platform that provides businesses with knowledge on how to effectively manage waste.
The WasteTracker system will operate in seven Skanska buildings in Central and Eastern Europe: Wave in Gdańsk, Brama Miasta in Łódź, Centrum Południe in Wrocław (phase 2) and the Studio B and P180 office buildings in Warsaw. It will also be used by tenants in the Czech Port7 project and in the first building of the Equilibrium project, located in Bucharest.
Towards zero waste
The partnership with WasteTracker is not the only Skanska initiative that is contributing to the development of a circular economy. In the process of constructing its office buildings, the Swedish developer uses materials containing recycled products, such as steel, concrete and aluminum. As part of the preparation of subsequent investments, it also uses innovative technologies to be able to recover as many elements as possible from existing buildings.