GPP Best Practice with the CO₂ Performance Ladder: Join the Community of Practice – Now Open to All Members!

The CO₂ Performance Ladder is increasingly recognised as a growing best practice in Green Public Procurement (GPP) across Europe. Why? It clearly demonstrates how embedding sustainability into purchasing can reduce emissions, support the achievement of climate goals, and stimulate innovation in emission-intensive sectors such as steel, cement, construction, transport, and public works.

What is the CO₂ Performance Ladder and what does the CoP offer?

The CO₂ Performance Ladder is a green public procurement instrument that enables buyers to drive decarbonisation through their tenders. Contracting authorities can grant an award advantage to companies certified under the CO₂ Performance Ladder. This creates a strong business case for companies to actively reduce emissions at project level, within their own operations, and across their supply chains.

Independent third-party certification ensures credibility and significantly eases the verification burden for procurement authorities, while rewarding companies that take responsibility and lead by example. The CO₂ Performance Ladder is currently implemented in seven countries: the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Portugal. The results speak for themselves:

• In the Netherlands and Belgium alone, more than 300 public authorities regularly apply the CO₂ Performance Ladder in their procurement.
• Over 8,000 organisations are certified, around 75% of which are SMEs, demonstrating that the system is both ambitious and accessible.
• In France, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Portugal, momentum is growing steadily, with more than 100 public tenders issued to date.

The CoP is Now Open to All Members!

We are pleased to announce that the CO₂ Performance Ladder Community of Practice is now open to all members of the Public Buyers Community. We welcome buyers from all Member States who want to strengthen the climate impact of their procurement and learn from peers across Europe. 

To support public buyers interested in applying the CO₂ Performance Ladder, the Community of Practice, is a dedicated space for learning, exchange and practical support. It offers:

• Webinars and thematic workshops
• Sharing of resources and guidance materials
• Peer-to-peer exchange
• Practical experiences from buyers, projects and sectors across Europe

For any questions you can reach out to Elisabeth.Muller@skao.nl or visit The CO2 Performance Ladder