European Commission wobbles on green public procurement with delayed labels and low quotas for clean products
Press release, Brussels | The EU’s new Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) deprioritises decarbonisation with insufficient and unclear public procurement measures for clean industrial products and low quotas for concrete and steel, environmental group ECOS says. Mainstreaming green public procurement is the EU’s most powerful climate solution, with the power to make or break Europe’s climate credibility. Stifling its potential will be a missed opportunity, ECOS explains.
The Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), published today, fails to sufficiently establish public procurement as a key European climate solution [1]. Quotas for low-carbon concrete and steel are exceptionally low, with little connection to what is possible in today’s – let alone in future – markets, ECOS says. While labels introduced for key industrial goods such as concrete and steel lack details and clear timelines.
Federica Pozzi, Senior Programme Manager Buildings & Industry at ECOS, said:
“Quotas proposed for low-carbon concrete and steel are far too low. The Commission is out of touch with the reality of today’s clean tech industry, which has plenty of clean steel and concrete technologies that are ready to scale. Green public procurement is the EU’s most powerful climate solution, but the European Commission has failed to fully leverage its potential.”
Stimulating demand for clean products via public procurement is the fastest way for Europe to accelerate industrial decarbonisation, so its omission in the IAA will result in polluting products continuing to dominate the market for decades, ECOS explains. This jeopardises climate commitments, makes investing in clean production riskier, and sets back the EU’s clean industrial ambitions by discouraging innovation.
Jean-Luc Wietor, Head of Buildings & Industry at ECOS, said:
“This proposal will not sufficiently accelerate the transition our industry and our planet need. Policymakers promised fast action on steel, but the label has been pushed back. The quotas will also be difficult to enforce and are too low to be effective, offering no path for progress in the future. Technology is not the obstacle, demand is. Policymakers could be channelling public money towards clean products and first movers using the potential of transparency, predictability and public procurement, but they’ve held back.”
Unclear low-carbon labelling could cause delays
IAA fails to provide concrete and steel markets with clear, timely signals to decarbonise: Concrete and steel are insufficiently covered by the IAA, which delegates the responsibility of developing labels to the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), failing to mandate action or set timelines. Because of the IAA, work on steel under the ESPR was delayed, so it is disappointing that the IAA fails to move it forward, ECOS says. For concrete, clear principles are also absent, with the IAA instead placing a heavy bet on CPR processes, which have a poor track-record on timelines and sustainability, ECOS explains.
Public procurement without ambitious quotas and timelines will not be effective
Low quotas proposed for concrete and steel: Quotas on low-carbon requirements for concrete and steel are extremely low compared to what is feasible. Low-carbon concrete and steel are not hard to source, but these quotas make it seem so, ECOS says. . Many European cleantech companies already provide low-carbon concrete [3] and steel – technologies that are ready to scale – so low quotas send the wrong market signals. Policymakers will not push markets forward by telling them they are already doing enough.
IAA fails to set ambitious decarbonisation timelines for concrete and steel: As well as realistic quotas for clean products, lead markets also need clear and predictable timelines, ECOS says. However, for concrete and steel, the IAA only aims to procure low-carbon from 1 January 2029 onwards, without any trajectory for full decarbonisation. Given the tiny quotas put forward, such a timeline is completely disconnected from market dynamics and the needs of frontrunners, ECOS explains.
EU concentrates on yesterday’s industry instead of clean tech first movers
Public projects make up almost one-third of the construction industry’s activities – and its products are among the most polluting. For a minimal price tag, the EU could slash emissions from concrete and steel by 19 million tonnes – almost half – by ensuring public authorities make better public purchases [4]. Buying better means building better – prioritising tomorrow’s people over yesterday’s industry. The IAA proposal has missed this opportunity, ECOS explains.
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Notes to Editors
[1] COM(2026)100 – Proposal for a Regulation on establishing a framework of measures for accelerating industrial capacity and decarbonisation in strategic sectors (Industrial Accelerator Act): https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/industrial-accelerator-act_en
Public procurement is responsible for 15% of the EU’s GDP, yet fewer than half of public contracts are currently awarded with the environment in mind – a missed opportunity for climate and green innovators. Low-carbon solutions are out there, but they must be scaled up and fast-tracked to avoid locking in high carbon materials.
[2] Buy Better to Build Better (BBBB) – a coalition of industry, civil society, and public authorities – have shown that quotas in the IAA are disconnected from what is feasible and needed to create strong lead markets for concrete and steel in Europe. For more information, see: https://ecostandard.org/publications/industrial-accelerator-act-risks-missing-the-mark-for-concrete-and-steel/
[3] Alliance for Low-Carbon Cement & Concrete (ALCCC): https://alliancelccc.com/
[4] ECOS report, ‘Buy better to build better: Driving public purchase towards green construction products’, November 2024: https://ecostandard.org/publications/report-buy-better-to-build-better-driving-public-purchase-towards-green-construction-products/ This report shows that introducing ambitious requirements for the highest polluting materials can save up to 19 million tonnes of emissions annually at minimal cost – lowering emissions from construction by a staggering 43% with upfront project cost increases at no more than 3-4%.
[5] Safe and low-carbon cement and concrete solutions already exist but need market access through environmentally ambitious standards and policies. Today, cement and concrete standards prevent this from happening. They follow a prescriptive logic that does not allow new materials and innovations to enter the market at a large scale. Shifting to performance-based cement and concrete standards would remove this barrier and create a level-playing field for low-carbon cement and concrete solutions. This could potentially slice the industry’s emissions by half. For more information, see: https://alliancelccc.com/
Contact
If you have questions, please contact:
Alison Grace
Senior Press & Communications Manager at ECOS
alison.grace@ecostandard.org
+32 493 19 22 59
ECOS – Environmental Coalition on Standards is an international NGO with a network of members and experts advocating for environmentally friendly technical standards, policies, and laws around the world. In 2026, ECOS is celebrating 25 years of bringing the environmental voice to standards.
ECOS coordinates two coalitions working towards different aspects of industrial decarbonisation: The Alliance for Low-Carbon Cement & Concrete (ALCCC) and the Buy Better to Build Better coalition (BBBB).
