DeCarb-Pro: pioneering decarbonisation in public procurement for a sustainable Europe

In the pursuit of sustainable and environmentally responsible practices, the DeCarb-Pro project emerges as a vital initiative aimed at significantly reducing CO₂ emissions resulting from public procurement activities carried out by local authorities (LAs) in North West Europe (NWE). The impact of public procurement on CO₂ emissions is striking, with 15% or 230 million tons of CO₂ emitted in 2020 attributed to LAs in the NWE region. 

Failing to decarbonize procurement could jeopardize the NWE-wide LAs’ ability to meet the EU’s ambitious reduction goals for 2030 and align with the objectives outlined in the EU Green Deal.

Green public procurement

The DeCarb-Pro project is a collaborative effort involving 12 project partners from five NWE countries. The primary objective is to decarbonize public procurement, focusing on areas such as infrastructure, construction, and energy, where the most significant reductions can be achieved. Acknowledging the dominant influence of price considerations in public procurement, the project seeks to integrate CO₂ pricing into procurement processes. By doing so, LAs will incentivize companies to compete based on both the lowest price and the lowest emissions, thus contributing to a substantial reduction in overall emissions.

Despite the potential benefits, the application of CO₂ pricing in procurements is currently limited due to a lack of instruments and knowledge among NWE LAs. To address this gap, the DeCarb-Pro partnership, which includes LAs, energy agencies, city networks, and market partners from all NWE countries, aims to develop and apply a strategic approach for CO₂ pricing and procurement. This approach is intended for use by large, medium-sized, and small LAs across the NWE region.

The developed instruments will be tested and validated in pilot procurement projects in the infrastructure, construction and energy sectors. Pilot actions will lead to concrete emission reductions and will act as showcases. Training schemes will be developed and capacity building will enable LAs to commit themselves and execute CO₂ pricing in procurements and contribute to reducing their CO₂ emissions.

CO₂ Performance Ladder sharing experience

The partnership builds on frontrunning experience of Dutch and French project partners on local CO₂ pricing and CO₂ procurement instruments. Such as the Dutch CO₂ Performance Ladder and French I4CE Framework. The partnership develops and supports a CO₂ pricing strategy with action plans for Local authorities and NWE-wide mainstreaming of instruments and standards, e.g. within the EU climate initiative Covenant of Mayor.

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