Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Dr. Scheuch, the construction sector plays a key role in ecological transformation. Wienerberger acts as one of the world's leading providers of clay building materials in the market. How do you view the shift towards more sustainable building?

Dr. Heimo Scheuch: From my perspective, this question can only be sensibly answered in a European or global context: In discussions over the last ten years, the impression is repeatedly conveyed that the European construction industry has been relatively poorly positioned so far and still has a long way to go. However, when you compare our local standards to the regulatory requirements from Asia and North America – not to mention Africa or Latin America – a very different picture quickly emerges:

We undoubtedly have the strictest requirements of all. In this context, it is certainly reasonable to critically question whether it makes sense for Europeans to keep adding more regulations. It is clear: we want high standards – which is not a problem at all; we and our market competitors are more than happy to meet these with great commitment and profound know-how, and we have already achieved a lot in recent years. However, stricter regulations will not lead to sensibly using the remaining potential for more sustainable construction.

Wirtschaftsforum: Instead?

Dr. Heimo Scheuch: I rather appeal to a healthy sense of personal responsibility: Common sense tells one that one must handle natural resources responsibly, and therefore we naturally do so. We don't need endless regulations and standards from politicians unfamiliar with the technical details – this only creates unnecessary costs, stifles important innovations, and leads to the creation of an opaque thicket of ESG consulting firms, as has also emerged in recent years.

Essentially, all these thematic areas related to social and ecological sustainability are undeniably important at the professional level and also enjoy the full support of wienerberger – however, the way they are sometimes tackled at the regulatory level is often concerning. By doing this, we only further distance ourselves from our human values, we talk too little to each other, even in business. The real challenges are ultimately enormous:

Wirtschaftsforum: In the urban context, the term 'densification' is often used when discussing the creation of attractive living spaces - what is your perspective on this approach?

Dr. Heimo Scheuch: With a certain amount of skepticism, at least in Western countries. In my opinion, a strong distinction needs to be made between commercially used buildings and housing construction. 
I must openly admit that my generation has probably been too careless with land, especially in the context of commercial use, such as the construction of gigantic shopping centers, which I view critically. A lot of farmland and biodiversity has been lost because of this. From my point of view, consistent densification is not the most suitable means to combat the housing shortage in countries like Austria and Germany, as it can lead to increased urban tightness and hence more aggression in cities. In the worst case, we would be building the ghettos of the future. This must be prevented at all costs – and we must take into account the regional cultural differences. European coexistence will not be organized according to the structures of Asian megacities, but can only function according to local cultural customs, if residential development is interspersed with attractive green and recreational areas.

Wirtschaftsforum: What innovations is Wienerberger currently involved with?

Dr. Heimo Scheuch: For a brick company of traditional make, as we were still 15 years ago, we have brought about a quite remarkable strategic reorientation and have been able to systematically broaden our range of services in the process. Thus, we are now engaging with substantial investment volumes in the production of plastic pipes that are equipped with state-of-the-art sensor technology and are particularly used in sewage systems, where they support municipalities in water management.

As large parts of the existing pipeline network are now quite old and often only insufficiently maintained, extreme water losses sometimes occur there, which can be remedied through appropriate upgrading measures. The North and Eastern European countries are now leading in the corresponding implementation, but there is also great potential in other markets like Germany.

Wirtschaftsforum: What solutions does your company have for the challenges in constructing sustainable buildings or in energy renovation?

Dr. Heimo Scheuch: Here, the grown competence in our traditional field of activity is especially in demand – as up to 40% of the thermal energy escapes through the roof in a building. This problem can also be resolved in older houses with high renovation needs through relevant insulation measures, where ideally, the old roof is also converted into a usable roof that can ensure a sensible use of rainwater. In the design of walls and facades, we therefore see continued great growth potential for our brick technology, which we will further exploit through constant innovations. Recently, we developed the building concept 2226® together with the Austrian architectural office Eberle – a building that maintains the indoor temperature all year long at 22-26°C without supportive technical measures, which of course is associated with immense energy savings. This makes the concept particularly well-suited for social housing.

Wirtschaftsforum: So your focus remains clearly on the future?

Dr. Heimo Scheuch: Most definitely. My experience has taught me: When people in board or executive meetings start talking a lot about the past, it often becomes dangerous. I myself grew up in the mountains, and when you look at the panorama, you don’t look towards the middle, but towards the peak – you want to go up and then come down safely. Therefore, one must take responsibility for this collective journey – in my case, for more than 20,000 colleagues around the world. One must accept this responsibility and approach one's fellow human beings with openness, respect, understanding, and care – values that I demand from my top management to the utmost. If one follows these iron principles, success comes on its own – in the case of wienerberger for more than 200 years!