The Swedish government aimed to reduce its 1990 CO2 emission level by 40% by 2020. To comply with the EU's Energy Efficiency Directive, which states that, by 2021, all new buildings should be so-called "nearly zero-energy buildings," the Swedish government decided on two goals.

• The first goal was to have the intensity of energy lowered by 20% between 2008 and 2020.
• The second goal stated that, by 2016, the energy savings in the end consumption should be at least 9% of the annual average quantity between 2001 and 2005, which is equivalent to 33 kilowatt-hours (kWh). The end consumption is mainly relevant for buildings, since buildings account for a large part of the emissions.

By 2045, Sweden must have no net emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and, after that, achieve negative emissions. To achieve net-zero emissions, additional measures may be credited. Emissions from activities within Swedish territory must be at least 85% lower than emissions in 1990. By 2050, public buildings should have reduced their use of purchased electricity by 50% compared to the 1995 levels. The construction and industry sectors are imposed with specific interim targets, given that they account for approximately 40% of the end consumption of energy.

Other measures are also taken to increase the portion of nonhazardous waste from the construction industry. At present, 50% of the prepared waste from the construction industry is being recycled. By 2020, the Swedish government aims to increase this to 70%. Even if the statistics are not entirely reliable, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency announced that Sweden had already reached the goal for 2020 in 2015.