The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced a plan for implementing a new labelling programme to help Federal purchasers and other buyers procure cleaner, more climate-friendly construction materials and products. Sierra Club applauds this development, which aims to ensure taxpayer money stops contributing to the climate crisis and establishes emissions reduction goals for pollution-intensive industries.

Sierra Club Industrial Transformation Campaign’s Senior Campaign Advisor, Yong Kwon, said: “The EPA’s labelling programme is part of an exciting constellation of efforts by the Biden-Harris administration to transform domestic industry. It works in conjunction with federal investments in new equipment and public procurement of sustainable material made in facilities with the latest green technology. Federal agencies must build on lessons learned to address other pollution-intensive materials but also broaden the definition of “clean” beyond greenhouse gases to to include the reduction of toxic pollution from industries that have long harmed local communities. Sierra Club also supports state and local agencies participating in sustainable procurement to leverage EPA data and supercharge demand for the cleanest materials through funds distributed by federal agencies like the Department of Transportation.” 

Funded by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the EPA’s plan supports a broader public initiative called “Buy Clean” which allocates funding for select agencies to purchase “clean” building materials — specifically steel, cement, glass, and asphalt.