Tudor Cherhat, Programme Manager at ECOS — Environmental Coalition on Standards, co-convenor of BBBB, said: The EU desperately needs public procurement measures that boost competitiveness and circular and low-carbon solutions, levelling the playing field for European businesses, and rewarding innovation — especially in the construction sector. Businesses need certainty, and investors and procurers shouldn’t have to take a risk when they choose sustainable products. Our coalition proves there is appetite for this across the board.
If Europe uses its purchasing power — which represents 15% of the bloc’s GDP — effectively, it will accelerate the industrial transition while advancing European competitiveness. This will allow competitiveness and sustainability to reinforce each other, the Buy Better to Build Better coalition says.
Here is how, according to the BBBB manifesto:
- Simpler procurement with harmonised, sector-specific GPP criteria to create demand for low-carbon and circular construction solutions.
- A stronger internal market through coherent and horizontal procurement rules beyond lowest price.
- Simpler and standardised EU-wide tracking of GPP.
- Continued support for public authorities in implementing GPP effectively.
Elaborating on why these measures are needed, Alexandre Marin, European Affairs Director at RIVA Group, a major Italian steel operator and member of BBBB, said: The construction and steel industries are at a crossroads. This coalition represents a key opportunity to accelerate meaningful change by advancing construction and public procurement practices that prioritise truly low-carbon and circular materials, based on clear and objective criteria.
More than half of EU public contracts are awarded based solely on the lowest price. This leaves major opportunities untapped — for quality, innovation and circularity.
The EU has changed course with its Clean Industrial Deal, placing procurement at the core of its industrial strategy. The proposed revision of its Public Procurement Directives — Europe’s main set of laws on procurement — could help to make sustainable procurement (focusing on more than just price) the norm. This would build on existing sectoral legislation, which already includes the mandate to develop sustainability and resilience criteria, rewarding early movers by creating lead markets. By scaling sustainable products and materials up, it would contribute to driving their price down, making them more affordable and cost-competitive on the market.
If implemented well, the EU’s renewed focus on creating lead markets via public procurement could have a particularly high impact on the construction sector, where public procurement accounts for 31% of total investment. Europe must replicate the examples set by isolated good practices, BBBB says — enabling green and innovative solutions to scale rapidly and consistently across Europe.
