diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.19.4-GCCcore-6.4.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.19.4-GCCcore-6.4.0.eb
index 2dd214fecd0..3e958246704 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.19.4-GCCcore-6.4.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.19.4-GCCcore-6.4.0.eb
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 # make sure pkg-config picks up system packages (OpenSSL & co)
-preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig && "
+local_pc = "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig"
+preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=%s && " % local_pc
 configopts = '--with-ssl=openssl '
 
 osdependencies = [OS_PKG_OPENSSL_DEV]
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.1-GCCcore-7.3.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.1-GCCcore-7.3.0.eb
index 07e2836707e..58155b9ba65 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.1-GCCcore-7.3.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.1-GCCcore-7.3.0.eb
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 # make sure pkg-config picks up system packages (OpenSSL & co)
-preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig && "
+local_pc = "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig"
+preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=%s && " % local_pc
 configopts = '--with-ssl=openssl '
 
 osdependencies = [OS_PKG_OPENSSL_DEV]
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.1-GCCcore-8.3.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.1-GCCcore-8.3.0.eb
index 284145e9acd..c8948202cef 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.1-GCCcore-8.3.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.1-GCCcore-8.3.0.eb
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 # make sure pkg-config picks up system packages (OpenSSL & co)
-preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig && "
+local_pc = "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig"
+preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=%s && " % local_pc
 configopts = '--with-ssl=openssl '
 
 osdependencies = [OS_PKG_OPENSSL_DEV]
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.3-GCCcore-10.2.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.3-GCCcore-10.2.0.eb
index b553d124898..a32a03e427c 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.3-GCCcore-10.2.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.3-GCCcore-10.2.0.eb
@@ -32,7 +32,10 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 # make sure pkg-config picks up system packages (OpenSSL & co)
-preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig && "
+local_pc = "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig"
+preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=%s && " % local_pc
 configopts = '--with-ssl=openssl '
 
 osdependencies = [OS_PKG_OPENSSL_DEV]
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.3-GCCcore-9.3.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.3-GCCcore-9.3.0.eb
index 04371b74a51..43dc36af7e7 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.3-GCCcore-9.3.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.20.3-GCCcore-9.3.0.eb
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 # make sure pkg-config picks up system packages (OpenSSL & co)
-preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig && "
+local_pc = "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig"
+preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=%s && " % local_pc
 configopts = '--with-ssl=openssl '
 
 osdependencies = [OS_PKG_OPENSSL_DEV]
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.1-GCCcore-10.3.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.1-GCCcore-10.3.0.eb
index f9313fcbc6e..4b401e95412 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.1-GCCcore-10.3.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.1-GCCcore-10.3.0.eb
@@ -33,7 +33,10 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 # make sure pkg-config picks up system packages (OpenSSL & co)
-preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig && "
+local_pc = "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig"
+preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=%s && " % local_pc
 configopts = '--with-ssl=openssl '
 
 # Optionally, you can use gnutls (default) instead of OpenSSL.
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.2-GCCcore-11.2.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.2-GCCcore-11.2.0.eb
index 3e0a4fdaa71..c8162cdfea5 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.2-GCCcore-11.2.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.2-GCCcore-11.2.0.eb
@@ -33,7 +33,10 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 # make sure pkg-config picks up system packages (OpenSSL & co)
-preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig && "
+local_pc = "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig"
+preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=%s && " % local_pc
 configopts = '--with-ssl=openssl '
 
 # Optionally, you can use gnutls (default) instead of OpenSSL.
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.3-GCCcore-11.3.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.3-GCCcore-11.3.0.eb
index 5c953192438..481dbcb3ede 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.3-GCCcore-11.3.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/w/wget/wget-1.21.3-GCCcore-11.3.0.eb
@@ -38,7 +38,10 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 # make sure pkg-config picks up system packages (OpenSSL & co)
-preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig && "
+local_pc = "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/pkgconfig:"
+local_pc += "%(sysroot)s/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/pkgconfig"
+preconfigopts = "export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=%s && " % local_pc
 configopts = '--with-ssl=openssl '
 
 # Optionally, you can use gnutls (default) instead of OpenSSL.