Great buildings and monuments of infrastructure get our attention. But how about the sources where the materials come from? We have a reason for pride there as well. Introducing NCC Kielo®– our living site.
When gravel and rock is being extracted, pits and quarries are busy and rough workplaces. Our sites, with their exposed surfaces of sand, gravel or rock, offer an attractive environment for many species that are displaced, and even endangered, when dense vegetation establishes. Those quite rare species can often show up in our environments.
So, what we want to do is balance the bustling production with the harmony of the nature – plants, vegetation, insects, birds as well as all the things we don’t even see.
NCC Kielo – Our living site – is a concept where we make an ongoing effort to appreciate the value of both our expertise in converting rock into quality construction materials and the nature that gives us the opportunity for all this.
We believe that businesses like ours – that utilize the earth’s resources – must lead the way in making responsible choices concerning the nature. Therefore we consider our operations in relation to our neighborhood
and to biodiversity
NCC Kielo covers the philosophy, policies and actions that enhance biodiversity. We have identified a set of criteria for conducting structured biodiversity work where we focus on investigation, targets, measures, follow-up
and results. When necessary, we revise and adapt the plans. When it’s time to record how we are doing, we estimate the costs, potential savings and earnings as well as summarize the biological result at the site.
A few of our sites already fulfill the requirements to become an NCC Kielo site. As a result, we now provide biodiversity competence across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.
For example, the Siem gravel pit in Denmark was not biologically diverse when extraction was started. It was a mono-culture of planted spruce. The target was to make the area more diverse as for nature type, graph 1. During the follow up in 2017, fifteen hectares had been rehabilitated while production was on-going. Biodiversity in the area was increasing, graph 2. To our principles, we shall meet or exceed all national and international environmental regulations and agreements.
What is unique about NCC Kielo is its comprehensive approach. We support, develop and enhance biodiversity both during operations and afterwards, in the rehabilitating phase. The actions resemble a quality system, because every gravel pit or quarry is an individual and needs an evaluation of its own.
We have designed NCC Kielo concept to cover expectations of both our customers and the community that remain in the circle of influence – municipalities and local people, landowners as well as the society as a whole.
Kielo is a Finnish word meaning Lily of the valley, the Finnish national flower. Carrying the soft midsummer night magic, it is a perfect name for the concept.
(Kielo is also an acronym built from KIviaineksen Elävä LuontO – “living nature of stone”).
