Tox-Free Building Blueprint: Chemical Criteria for Building Certification and Procurement

Sustainable construction is rapidly gaining momentum across the European Union, driven by tightening regulations, the EU Green Deal, and the overarching goals of circular economy and climate neutrality. To meet these ambitions, the construction sector is increasingly adopting tools that support the delivery of safe, resource-efficient, and future-ready buildings. Two central instruments in this transition are building sustainability certification schemes and Green Public Procurement (GPP).

Building Certification Schemes – Standardised Pathways to Sustainability

Certification frameworks provide a structured and transparent way of evaluating and verifying a building’s sustainability performance. They assess not only environmental aspects—such as energy efficiency and resource use—but also indoor air quality, material safety, and overall occupant well-being. Well-established systems, alongside country-specific approaches, have created a common language for sustainable buildings and a benchmark for continuous improvement.

Our comparative analysis of several international and national certification systems highlights a growing emphasis on chemical safety. The integration of chemical criteria ensures that hazardous substances are systematically identified, restricted, or eliminated throughout the construction process. This shift aligns with EU-wide policies to phase out toxic chemicals and protect both human health and ecosystems.

Green Public Procurement – Leveraging Public Demand for Safer Buildings

Public sector demand plays a pivotal role in steering the market toward safer, more sustainable building practices. Green Public Procurement (GPP) has emerged as a powerful policy tool to integrate sustainability into public spending. By including criteria that specifically address hazardous chemicals, municipalities and other public institutions can reduce health risks for building users, protect the environment, and stimulate innovation in safer construction products.

Our findings show that when procuring authorities incorporate robust, science-based chemical criteria, they create ripple effects across supply chains. These criteria provide clarity to suppliers and contractors, encouraging them to substitute harmful chemicals with safer alternatives and accelerate the mainstreaming of tox-free construction solutions.

Chemical Criteria – Towards a Blueprint for Tox-Free Buildings

This publication brings together an overview of chemical-related requirements across leading building certification systems and national frameworks. The analysis identifies key hazardous chemical categories—such as carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins, and substances of very high concern—that are subject to restrictions. It also highlights best practices for integrating these criteria into procurement documents and certification protocols.

By summarising and harmonising these requirements, the publication offers a blueprint for smaller national or regional certification systems. Such systems can adopt or adapt the presented criteria to strengthen their focus on human health and environmental protection. Similarly, public procurers can draw on this resource to design tender requirements that prioritize tox-free construction.

Looking Ahead

The transition to tox-free buildings is not just about reducing chemical risks—it is about building resilience, ensuring healthier living and working environments, and aligning the construction sector with Europe’s sustainability ambitions. Certification systems and public procurement are mutually reinforcing levers. Together, they can accelerate the adoption of safer materials, foster innovation, and deliver buildings that contribute to both climate goals and public well-being.

This blueprint serves as a practical resource for policymakers, certification bodies, and procuring organisations to operationalise the vision of tox-free, sustainable buildings across Europe.

Read the full publication here

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