IISD conducted a feasibility study of using the CO2 Performance Ladder as a procurement tool and CO2 management tool in Europe. Compared to other European carbon tools and approaches, the CO2 Performance Ladder stands out for its track record of use in public procurement, its proven carbon mitigation impact, and its third-party verification system.
Due to increasing international interest (including a pilot project in Belgium), the Foundation for Climate Friendly Procurement and Business (SKAO), together with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), is investigating the feasibility of the CO2 Performance Ladder in several European countries.
The project – ‘Accelerating decarbonisation through the power of procurement, by dissemination of the CO2 Performance Ladder in Europe’ (CO₂PLEU) – researches the possibilities to extend the use of this best practice instrument, towards a Europe wide dissemination. In this way the CO2 Performance Ladder can boost green public procurement and CO2 reduction even further.
Feasibility study
The feasibility study, conducted by IISD, provides insights about the procurement context in 10 European countries: Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. For each of the countries, the study provides information about:
- Sustainable Public Procurement: What are key priorities and activities in the country? Which tools, instruments and labels are used for sustainable public procurement?
- Low carbon procurement: What are emission reduction targets in the country? What is the status of low carbon procurement of goods, works and services, and how is this monitored?
The study shows the potential of the CO2 Performance Ladder in 10 studied countries
Key observations by country
Below Table provides an overview of key observations on the potential for uptake of the CO2 Performance Ladder through public procurement processes in the 10 studied countries.
