Global construction projections point to a massive growth over the next couple of decades which equates to building something the size of New York City every month. Think about that… the steel… the cement… the CO2 that is produced as a result. So all we need are green materials, right? In the short term the challenge lies in the “green premium” and how quickly the price for carbon negative or low carbon materials can be brought down by market forces.

Governments around the world buy as much as 25% of steel and 40% of cement for infrastructure and building programs, so green public procurement has the potential to be an incredibly powerful lever.

Rana Ghoneim, Chief of the Energy Systems and Infrastructure Division at the UN’s Industrial Development Organization, talks with Alex about the work she and her organisation are doing to drive green public procurement. Through their Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative, they are signing up big government buyers of the CO2-intensive materials to make pledges on procurement that can spark a global green market for critical materials. Join the discussion and find out about what the ‘right’ targets are, how to set standards for green products that create a healthy market and how to unpick institutional barriers to green procurement. The ultimate goal? Major buyers and a healthy market to drive further industrial decarbonisation.

Episode Links:

• Learn more about the Industrial Deep Decarbonisation
• Read The UNIDO’s Green Procurement Report
• Have a look at The UNIDO’s paper on green cement and steel procurement 
• Find out more about Decarb Connect
• To stay updated on Decarb Connect’s podcast, summits, reports and webinars, join the Decarb Connect Newsletter
• Watch more Decarb Connect podcast episodes
• Follow Decarb Connect on LinkedIn

Decarb Connect supports the acceleration of industrial decarbonisation around the globe. We share insights and facilitate collaborations across the emerging decarbonisation ecosystem. We look specifically at the most energy-intensive industrials from cement, metals and mining, glass, ceramics, chemicals, O&G and many more and help connect them to technology disruptors, investors and advisors.

Through the Decarbonisation Leaders Network (DLN), our members (a cross-sector network of those leading decarbonisation in energy-intensive industries) share insights and experiences as they accelerate their Net Zero plans. Check out Decarb Connect’s offerings and learn about the Decarbonisation Leaders Network members, meetups and benefits.

If you enjoyed this conversation, take a look at many more conversations and discussions about industrial decarbonisation taking place across Decarb Connect’s global event series.

Contact us to learn more or to get involved in the podcast series: hello@decarbconnect.com

Many thanks to Janno Media for their support and expertise in the edit and production of our series.