Construction products are among the most significant environmental polluters with an annual carbon footprint of 250 million tonnes in the EU. A growing demand for construction products makes decarbonising the sector as urgent as ever. And the solutions to do so exist! Our work in 2023 has paved the way to make them the norm.

Construction products – including cement, concrete, brick or steel – are among the most significant environmental polluters with an annual carbon footprint of 250 million tonnes in the EU. Cement on its own accounts for 8% of global CO₂ emissions. Beyond emissions, construction products are responsible for half of the EU’s total material consumption and are the main source of the bloc’s annual waste output. 

A growing demand for construction products makes decarbonising the sector as urgent as ever. And the solutions to do so exist – our work in 2023 has made that clear. In a sector that has continuously been left to self-regulate through European standards, ECOS has spearheaded efforts to ensure the construction plays its vital role in the green transition, while also strengthening its competitiveness and unlocking innovation. 

Making way for a more sustainable construction sector 

ECOS guided civil society – at national and EU levels – in pushing for a more sustainable construction sector, particularly through the revision of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR).

ECOS played a fundamental role in overseeing the CPR’s legislative process from start to finish. Our unique and technical expertise gave us an edge in revealing unfair practices of policymakers’ overreliance on industry to fill knowledge gaps. 

We brought together key policymakers across the political spectrum to push for a more sustainable construction sector. Organised with the European Environmental Bureau and Eurocities, our Parliamentary Breakfast on the CPR welcomed Members of the European Parliament and European Commission representatives to share our vision for a more sustainable future as well as how to get there. 

We also brought industry players on board with our recommendations. For example, on the importance of information disclosure in developing environmentally sound strategies to tackle the triple planetary crisis. 

The result of the CPR is far from perfect, but it is stronger because of ECOS’ strategic interventions. While ecodesign is not yet a reality for construction products, manufacturers will have to disclose more information on the environmental impact of their products – from carbon footprint to water and resource use!

In addition, thanks to our advocacy, used construction products will finally be recognised on the European market with a tailored approach to promote their wider uptake. The revised CPR also puts green public procurement (GPP) criteria for key products – such as steel, cement, and concrete – into sight from 2026 onwards. A huge win for getting this highly polluting sector in check towards the EU’s climate goals!

Now, it is down to implementation to measure the real success for the CPR. That’s where the CPR Acquis process, happening in parallel to the regulation, comes in with reviewing all the rules between the CPR and the practical obligations for manufacturers. ECOS – the only environmental NGO active in CPR Acquis Technical Groups – acts as a watchdog to ensure civil society’s voice is heard. We push for environmental ambition across the board, particularly with stronger transparency and circularity requirements. Without our active participation in these groups, the industry would be left to – once again – self-regulate through European standards.

There are new ways to build a greener future 
Cement – responsible for 8% of global emissions – has been a particular area of success within the CPR Acquis Cement Sub-Group, as well as the High Level Forum on Standardisation. Within these fora, ECOS has successfully drawn attention to the need for replacing outdated recipe-based standards with performance-based ones with a clear commitment from the European Commission in both processes!

Our success in decarbonising the cement and concrete industry doesn’t stop there. In May 2023, our Alliance for Low Carbon Cement & Concrete (ALCCC) was launched after months of preparation. Representing progressive industry actors and innovators across the value chain, the ALCCC quickly grew from 12 to 23 members (and counting!) with the joint vision of making low-carbon cement and concrete the norm by 2040. Together, we have quickly established ourselves as a much-needed point of reference to challenge the status quo with coordinated positions and timely opinion pieces. From New York to Brussels, our messages are making waves, bringing attention and awareness to an issue that was ignored for years.  

2023 made it clear that solutions to decarbonise construction are already at hand. This year, ECOS is already active in working with civil society and policymakers to ensure that the political will is there to make these solutions the norm.