The city of Zurich was the winner in the Procurement Initiative of the Year category at this year’s Procura+ Awards. Wiebke Rösler Häfliger, director of the public works office, accepted the prize on behalf of the city at the awards ceremony in Stavanger, Norway, last week.
The city of Zurich prevailed over 27 other European cities thanks to its “innovative and sustainable use” of recycled concrete with CO2 reduced cement in new buildings as well as its use of recycled asphalt in new road foundations, according to a press release.
The city has been using recycled concrete for nearly 20 years in new buildings, such as the schoolhouse Im Birch, which was constructed in 2002. In 2005, it made the construction of public buildings with recycled concrete mandatory, and in 2015 it also required the use of CO2 reduced cement when procuring new buildings.
“I am very excited that our long-standing commitment to sustainable construction has now been acknowledged and honored at the European level,” said structural engineering manager André Odermatt. “This award is confirmation that our climate action measures are being recognized. The city of Zurich will do even more in the future to protect our climate, opening up new and exciting opportunities.”
Founded in 2004, Procura+ is a network of European public authorities committed to sustainable procurement. The city of Zurich is one of its founding members.
