The EU has the tools. Now it must use them.

Zero-Emission Construction Sites (ZECS) are worksites where only zero-emission machinery and transport i.e. those without exhaust pipe emissions, are permitted to operate. They differ fundamentally from fossil-free sites in that biofuel-powered equipment is not permitted: biofuels do not eliminate local air or noise pollution. This distinction matters for health, for regulation, and for industrial strategy.

Construction machinery is a critically overlooked source of climate emissions and urban pollution. Despite off-road machinery accounting for approximately 3.1% of EU greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) – two-thirds of which originates from construction and agricultural equipment – CO₂  emissions from this sector remain largely unregulated at EU level. There is no CO₂ standard for non-road mobile machinery (NRMM). This is a critical gap in EU climate law.