Procurement for zero-emission construction sites: a comparative study of four European cities

Abstract

The public sector has a vital role in reducing emissions from construction activities and achieving environmental goals. Therefore, it is vital to investigate the opportunities for reducing the construction industry’s emissions through its procurement practices. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges of using green public procurement (GPP) to orchestrate stakeholder ecosystems, including public buyers, construction companies, subcontractors, and equipment suppliers, to achieve zero-emission construction sites—that is, ecosystems for zero-emission construction sites (EZEMCONS). The multiple case study methodology is employed to examine four European cities’ practices and experiences. The findings suggest that cities can improve low-emission machinery infrastructure, promote better networking for builders, and enhance cooperation through early market dialogues. Conversely, EZEMCONS pose challenges to innovation ecosystem (IE) orchestration, particularly when managing large-scale zero-emission infrastructure projects. Cities can use these findings to understand general IE implications for developing more mature EZEMCONS. More specifically, this study summarizes the potential opportunities and challenges of GPP for building mature IEs. GPP has been the subject of much environmental policy and sustainable production research; however, its application to EZEMCONS is limited. Consequently, this research contributes to the emergent literature on EZEMCONS, within the GPP context, by examining its opportunities and challenges.