Decarbonizing the EU’s road and construction sectors through green public procurement

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the implementation of Green Public Procurement (GPP) in the road transport and construction sectors of Sweden and the Netherlands. It analyzes the governance structures, tools, and barriers that influence the adoption of low-carbon procurement practices in these two EU Member States.

• In both Sweden and the Netherlands, GPP policies are generally voluntary, except where mandatory rules are imposed by EU Directives. While national governments in both countries set higher standards for their own procurement to lead by example, stakeholders in Sweden expressed a desire for more national mandatory rules to ensure consistency and commitment despite political or cost pressures.
• The Netherlands has achieved a higher rate of GPP adoption compared to Sweden. An assessment of the 2015–2020 Dutch National Action Plan found that 67% of public purchases included environmental criteria. In contrast, the Swedish Procurement Agency (SPA) reported that the percentage of total public procurements adopting environmental requirements decreased from 63% in 2018 to 58% in 2020.
• The Netherlands utilizes centralized tools to standardize GPP, such as the SPP criteria database, the CO2 Performance Ladder for certifying carbon emissions performance, and DuboCalc for life-cycle assessments of construction projects. Sweden's landscape is more decentralized; while the SPA provides a criteria service and LCC tool, many municipalities develop their own criteria, leading to a "scattered landscape."
• Significant barriers to GPP implementation in Sweden include a lack of human resources and expertise. The SPA found that 50% of procurers lack the time and resources to consider environmental impacts, and 41% lack the necessary expertise. In some average municipalities, a single officer manages all procurement for the entire city.
• Both countries face challenges regarding the follow-up of awarded tenders to ensure environmental standards are met. In Sweden, this is cited as a critical deficiency due to lack of resources. The Netherlands addresses this by requiring suppliers to report compliance, with the government imposing financial sanctions for non-compliance.
• The road transport and construction sectors are prioritized for GPP due to their high GHG emissions. In 2020, road transport accounted for 37% of Sweden's and 17% of the Netherlands' total GHG emissions. Construction represented approximately 17% in Sweden and 19% in the Netherlands.

APA

Lewis, A. N., & Machlowska, M. (2022). Decarbonizing the EU’s road and construction sectors through green public procurement. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/green-public-procurement-sweden-netherlands.pdf

Chicago

Lewis, Astrid Nilsson, and Magdalena Machlowska. Decarbonizing the EU’s road and construction sectors through green public procurement. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/green-public-procurement-sweden-netherlands.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lewis |first1=Astrid Nilsson |last2=Machlowska |first2=Magdalena |title=Decarbonizing the EU’s road and construction sectors through green public procurement |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=July 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/green-public-procurement-sweden-netherlands.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lewis2022decarbonizing, author = {Lewis, Astrid Nilsson and Machlowska, Magdalena}, title = {{Decarbonizing the EU’s road and construction sectors through green public procurement}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = jul, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/green-public-procurement-sweden-netherlands.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }