Survey: Czechs understand sustainable construction worse than others

Czechs lag significantly behind the global average when it comes to understanding sustainable construction — that's according to a major international survey involving 30,000 respondents and 4,800 experts from 30 countries. In Czechia itself, the study included 1,000 citizens and 160 specialists from the construction and environmental sectors, with data collected last autumn.

"The Czech market takes a very pragmatic approach to sustainable construction. What matters is functionality, the availability of solutions and their long-term operational benefits. It's not about declarations — it's about whether the proposed solution makes sense both technically and economically," said Tomáš Rosák, Director of Saint-Gobain for Eastern Europe.

While reducing carbon footprint is considered one of the leading global themes, Czech society, according to the survey's authors, tends to prioritize energy and cost issues instead. In Czechia, sustainable construction is primarily associated with the energy efficiency of buildings, the use of renewable or carbon-free energy sources, and lower operating costs.

Nearly three-quarters of Czech respondents named the use of low-emission energy sources as a top priority. Adapting buildings to climate risks was mentioned by 43% of those surveyed, while 34% cited health and comfort as a priority. At the same time, recycling and reusing materials remains a notable theme for Czechs — around 67% of respondents consider it a priority, a figure noticeably higher than the European and global averages.

According to 42% of Czech survey participants, boosting the competitiveness of eco-friendly materials and products would help accelerate the development of sustainable construction in the country. Roughly a third of respondents believe that construction companies and policymakers are the ones capable of driving sustainable construction forward. However, 59% of respondents see architects and engineers as playing the biggest role in this process.