GRO - Heading Towards Future-Oriented Buildings
Published on 1 January 2025
Publication
Construction is a key sector in Belgium, accounting for around 40% of energy consumption and producing significant waste. GRO 2025, developed jointly by the Flemish, Brussels, and Walloon Regions, provides a reference framework to assess and enhance sustainability and circularity in construction projects.
- Raw materials
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GRO is a framework designed to measure and improve sustainability in construction projects, covering new buildings, renovations, and redevelopments.
It focuses on an integrated design process to achieve comfortable, future-proof buildings with a strong emphasis on circular construction.
Given that the construction sector is one of Belgium’s largest, GRO promotes reduced energy consumption, efficient waste management, and resource preservation.
GRO 2025 is the result of an interregional collaboration (Flemish Region, Brussels-Capital Region, Walloon Region). This joint edition seeks to harmonize the definition of a sustainable building across Belgium and to adapt the tool’s criteria to regional specificities.
The name GRO refers to a Norwegian female name meaning “growth” and is a tribute to Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Norwegian Prime Minister, who led the “World Commission on Environment and Development” and published the “Our Common Future” report in 1987.
The previous version, GRO 2020.3, was developed by Het Facilitair Bedrijf (Flemish government) and remains valid for ongoing projects already using that reference.
The accompanying training course is here : Spring 2025 Information & Training Sessions