Ada Recinos, Deputy Press Secretary, ada.recinos@sierraclub.org (Pacific Time)
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced a plan for implementing a new labeling program 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 released the following statement:
“The EPA’s labeling program 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. The federal government is a major purchaser of these materials, accounting for more than 50% of concrete poured in the United States every year. Given its commanding role as a consumer in this pollution-intensive market, the Biden-Harris Administration's decision to selectively purchase materials with lower climate impact pushes industry to meet green standards. The EPA plan announced today will define what constitutes “clean” construction materials that qualify for purchases under the Buy Clean initiative.
Sierra Club led environmental partners and worked alongside the United Steelworkers to craft the first sustainable procurement program in California in 2017. Sierra Club also advocated for the inclusion of the Buy Clean initiative in the Inflation Reduction Act and helped shape the development of EPA’s labeling program, sharing research and providing comments in request for information from the agency. Sierra Club’s Industrial Transformation campaign now works to reduce climate and health-harming pollution from manufacturing.
Appendix: Table of Buy Clean programs
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.