How can you reduce the carbon footprint of public works?

You will find more elements in this new brochure, but in a nutshell:

Like many other industries with quite a large carbon footprint, ArcelorMittal has committed to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050. This is a vital initiative for the planet but let us not rest on the status quo until then. So how can engineers significantly reduce the carbon footprint of any new infrastructure project right away?

It is quite simple but requires a paradigm shift within public administrations, private investors and contractors: by using simple and yet efficient procurement strategies, investors can foster solutions with a much lower carbon footprint, but ecological solutions are seldomly the cheapest. Hence the construction industry needs to implement innovative, transparent and fair tender procedures capable to achieve the right balance between higher costs and lower environmental impacts. We are confident that European countries will quickly adapt their public procurement procedures to achieve this goal.

In infrastructure, one good example is the public procurement method used in the Netherlands, based on the “monetisation” of environmental criteria. It may not be perfect, but it works and has proven to challenge manufacturers and contractors in their daily operations. It relies predominantly on Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) to compare alternatives so that the investor can select the most sustainable solution: the best compromise between cost and environment based on a scientific approach.

Below is an illustrative example: the cheapest solution (Sol. 4) has a much higher environmental footprint than the first two, whereas the lowest environmental impact (Environmental Cost Indicator) is attained with the costliest solution (Sol. 1). The question that remains is: which premium is the investor ready to pay for more sustainable and durable solutions?