Hawaii Tests the Waters with Buy Clean Study
Aloha State lawmakers want to know if public projects can swap out high-carbon concrete, steel, and glass for lower-impact options without blowing up budgets. House Bill 787 and its Senate twin (S.B. 1017) order a deep dive, due to the Legislature in early 2027, on how a “Buy Clean Hawaii” policy might work. For manufacturers, the three-year runway is both a warning light and a golden ticket.
Why Hawaii Cares About Embodied Carbon
Tourism may power the islands’ economy, yet building materials still account for roughly seven percent of statewide greenhouse-gas emissions by some utility-adjusted estimates (HSEO, 2023). Shrinking that slice helps Hawaii hit its net-negative target before 2045 and shields taxpayers from volatile cement import costs.
What the Bills Actually Do
H.B. 787 and S.B. 1017 instruct the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission to analyze best practices, set up stakeholder outreach, and deliver a final report before the 2027 session (HB787, 2025). The study must sketch funding needs, administrative setup, and potential material scopes. Appropriation figures are blank for now, so the next budget cycle will decide real dollars.
Not a Mandate – Yet
No procurement limits kick in until after the study, but history says studies snowball into rules. California took exactly four years to jump from its 2017 study to active GWP limits on structural steel. New York needed just two (NY OGS, 2024). Consider Hawaii on a similar glide path.
Likely Materials in the Crosshairs
Early committee testimony singled out
- cement and concrete mixes
- reinforcing and structural steel
- flat glass for glazing These mirror the priority list in Colorado’s Buy Clean Act (Colorado OSA, 2025). Wood and asphalt could join later if data streams improve.
EPDs Will Be the Price of Admission
Stakeholders keep circling back to one tool: the product-specific Environmental Product Declaration. Agencies like the Department of Land and Natural Resources want apples-to-apples data they can plug into bid scoring. If your catalog lacks current Type III EPDs, you risk disqualification once limits land.
Island Supply Chains Add Extra Pressure
Hawaii imports nearly all its cement and structural steel. Any future GWP cap will weigh ocean shipping emissions unless the Commission carves them out. Mainland suppliers that already hold facility-specific EPDs can seize market share fast if local plants move slowly.
Lessons From Mainland Rollouts
- Thresholds start lenient and ratchet down. California’s steel limit fell 12 percent in its first revision.
- Small projects often get waivers, but agencies raise dollar cutoffs over time.
- Early movers lock in specs because public owners hate change orders.
Your 2025-2027 Action Plan
- Map existing PCRs for every Hawaii-bound product line.
- Collect 2024 production data now so an LCA modeler can spin up draft numbers in weeks, not months.
- Benchmark against GWP targets already live in California and Colorado to spot low-hanging reductions.
The right LCA partner will wrangle plant utility logs, freight legs, and mix designs while your R&D team keeps the kilns running. Dont wait, the study clock is already ticking.
Tie-Up Without the Bow
A Buy Clean law in the fiftieth state is not guaranteed, but a serious feasibility study rarely ends in “do nothing.” Locking down accurate, third-party EPDs before the 2027 report hits lawmakers’ desks turns uncertainty into competitive edge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Hawaii require EPDs for all public construction materials?
Not yet. H.B. 787/S.B. 1017 only fund a feasibility study. If lawmakers adopt the study’s recommendations in 2027, expect phased-in EPD requirements starting with concrete, steel, and glass.
Do shipping emissions count toward GWP limits under Buy Clean policies?
In most states, only cradle-to-gate emissions at the manufacturing facility count. The Hawaii study will decide whether to add marine shipping or treat it separately (HB787, 2025).
Can industry-wide EPDs satisfy future Hawaii rules?
Probably not for long. California and New York both pivoted to product-specific EPDs within two years. Hawaii is likely to follow that trend, so facility-specific data offers more staying power.
How much time do manufacturers have before possible enforcement?
The commission’s report is due twenty days before the 2027 session. If a bill passes that year, procurement limits could take effect as early as mid-2028.
About the Author
With a passion for sustainability and a love for complex data, Toby helps manufacturers efficiently collect data from across their organization and get their EPDs done right. He’s especially interested in how AI can support human expertise, helping R&D and factory teams work faster, smarter, and with less friction.
