Executive Summary
The European Commission’s commitment to addressing Europe’s growing housing crisis through the forthcoming European Affordable Housing Plan and the European Strategy for Housing Construction is both timely and essential.
To define "affordable housing" responsibly, the EU must go beyond upfront costs and focus on long-term affordability, social inclusion, and climate resilience. This means prioritising:
- Deep renovation of the existing building stock.
- Energy-efficient solutions that lower operational costs.
- Scalable support for social and cooperative housing.
- Durable, recyclable materials such as Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) that lower total cost of ownership while contributing to the EU’s environmental goals.
The EPS industry stands ready to contribute practical, cost-effective insulation solutions that deliver both affordability and sustainability at scale.