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Develop public procurement policies that incentivise materials with low carbon footprints

Public procurement constitutes a high-impact policy arena for achieving deep decarbonisation in the infrastructure and building sectors . Public procurement represents a substantial proportion of government expenditures – for example 12 per cent of GDP and 29 per cent of government expenditures in OECD member countries ( OECD 2017 ). Infrastructure assets are the largest area of public spending and the carbon impact of these assets is significant during all the stages of the life cycle .

Enable easy access to information on the carbon footprint of materials

Improving efficiency in the use of materials , minimising embodied greenhouse gas emissions of building materials and closing material cycles will be key to decarbonising construction . Thinking carefully about a circular economy means considering the postdeconstruction lives of buildings and materials so they do not end up as waste ( Iyer-Raniga and Huovila 2021 ). Transparency and enhanced knowledge about embodied carbon over the life cycle of building materials empowers investors , designers and consumers to make informed decisions .

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