Legal Considerations When Using the CO2 Performance Ladder in Public Procurement

This briefing provides a framework for addressing legal questions regarding the use of the CO2 Performance Ladder, a carbon management system used in public procurement to provide award advantages to certified organizations.

• The CO2 Performance Ladder is a carbon management system and green public procurement tool managed by the Foundation for Climate Friendly Procurement and Business (SKAO). In the Netherlands, it is utilized to grant an award advantage in tenders to organizations that are certified.
• The document serves as a legal FAQ to provide procurement professionals with legal certainty for scaling the tool's use. It specifically addresses compliance with the EU Procurement Directive, including the requirement that award criteria link to the subject matter of the contract (Article 67-3) and the necessity for contracting authorities to accept equivalent means of proof rather than only a specific label (Article 43-1).
• SKAO and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) are working to expand the application of the CO2 Performance Ladder beyond the Netherlands and Belgium to accelerate carbon emission reductions across Europe.

APA

Thurley,, R. B. T. (2023). Legal Considerations When Using the CO2 Performance Ladder in Public Procurement. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/co2-ladder-public-procurement-faq

Chicago

Thurley,, Ronja Bechauf,Laura Turley,George. Legal Considerations When Using the CO2 Performance Ladder in Public Procurement. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2023. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/co2-ladder-public-procurement-faq.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Thurley, |first1=Ronja Bechauf,Laura Turley,George |title=Legal Considerations When Using the CO2 Performance Ladder in Public Procurement |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=28 March 2023 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/co2-ladder-public-procurement-faq |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{thurley2023legal, author = {Thurley,, Ronja Bechauf,Laura Turley,George}, title = {{Legal Considerations When Using the CO2 Performance Ladder in Public Procurement}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/co2-ladder-public-procurement-faq}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }