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This guidance is primarily aimed at public procurers involved in a range of contracting agreements related to building materials and products. This includes the purchase of building materials for construction works, but may also extend to material extraction, manufacturing, building, retrofit, refurbishment, design, interior fit out, and end-of-life demolition or deconstruction processes. There are a variety of roles within the procurement cycle that the guidance can support, from commissioning, category management, tender preparation and evaluation, to contract management.

UNEP's new Eco-innovation Building Materials Supplement was created to respond to the building material sector's need for more guidance in building resilient, competitive, and sustainable business models for SMEs. Designed together with Bioregional, pilot implementation support of the National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC) Sri Lanka and to be read alongside UNEP's Eco-innovation Manual, the supplement provides specific examples, learning case studies, and advice on applying the eco-innovation methodology within the building materials value chain.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large class of thousands of synthetic chemicals that are used throughout society. However, they are increasingly detected as environmental pollutants and some are linked to negative effects on human health.

This page from the European Chemicals Agency provides background on PFAS chemicals and their use in a number of products, including construction materials, paints and chrome plating.

The Green Science Policy Institute's page on building materials, linking to background information on issues with PFAS, and halogenated flame retardants in insulation.

Digital collection of tools and guides to help designers, architects, homeowners, and developers make more informed choices about building materials and health.

More than 100 product guides to support practitioners in selecting products that avoid negative health impacts.

Green public procurement specification for general construction and flooring adhesives. The goal of the specification is to set to set a hierarchy of flooring covering preferences, establish minimum environmental goals for flooring installations in state properties, and provide recommendations for additional aspects of flooring performance, cleaning and maintenance for a healthier indoor environment.

Information from GreenSpec on environmental impacts of building materials, including chemicals of concern.