ABSTRACT
Green public procurement (GPP) represents the inclusion of environmental considerations into procurement decisions. GPP is gaining more popularity, but its adoption is hindered by the lack of knowledge, clear implementation frameworks, and sound comparison criteria. Quantified and verifiable environmental performance of products or goods must serve as a basis for the fair comparison between bidding options. This study investigates the potential use of environmental product declarations (EPDs) to support GPP implementation in the pavement infrastructure sector. EPDs report quantified environmental impacts of different materials, providing meaningful comparisons and fair bidding. This study reviews current EPD programs of pavement materials (asphalt, concrete, cement, aggregate), their suitability for GPP, as well as the consistency of EPDs and underlying product category rules (PCRs) among different materials. The applicability of EPDs in construction material procurement, as well as the pavement design process supported by life-cycle assessment (LCA) was investigated. Findings indicate that the technically sound implementation of EPDs in GPP is contingent on: 1) harmonization among materials’ PCRs, 2) availability of reliable public background datasets, and 3) stakeholders’ education. Addressing these needs is expected to provide for transparency, technically sound and fair comparison of bids, and cut back on costs of environmental impact assessment, all of which are essential for GPP uptake. Development of systems and databases that streamline the data transfer among different stakeholders is also expected to facilitate these efforts.
