White House announces new Buy Clean policy for low-carbon materials

Today the White House announced that the Federal Government will prioritize the purchase of low-carbon construction materials, including steel and concrete, under its Federal Buy Clean Initiative. The U.S. government is the largest direct purchaser of these materials in the world, and this directive will cover 98% of those purchased with taxpayer dollars.

This move has not only a direct effect on reducing current greenhouse gas emissions from construction materials used for federal projects, but also helps to create the green markets for this sector moving forward, strengthening demand and allowing these products to compete with their more carbon-intensive competitors.

“The first requirement for a manufacturing and construction sector that produces clean products and clean structures is that somebody must be willing to pay for them. Strong policies like the one announced today can facilitate that through robust public purchasing commitments and market creation. We applaud this decision and look forward to working with the Buy Clean Task Force and our grantee partners to help ensure the strongest implementation possible.”
— Rebecca Dell, Program Director, Industry at ClimateWorks Foundation

For more information on this announcement and on Buy Clean policy in general, please explore the resources below:

• “Five Ways Buy Clean Maximizes The Benefits Of Infrastructure Investment For Workers And Communities,” from BlueGreen Alliance, a ClimateWorks grantee and national leader on strengthening clean American manufacturing
• White House announcement
• ‘Build Clean: Industrial Policy for Climate and Justice,’ from ClimateWorks Foundation