Green Public Procurement: a key to decarbonizing construction and road transport in the EU

The report finds that Green Public Procurement (GPP) in the EU is characterized by a fragmented approach with few binding requirements and significant gaps between national climate targets and actual procurement practices. While some regions like Catalonia and cities like Berlin show high ambition, most Member States rely on voluntary guidelines. The construction and road transport sectors are highlighted as high-impact areas where GPP could drive decarbonization, yet implementation is hindered by a lack of standardized data, insufficient capacity and time for procurement officers, and a lack of mandatory EU-level criteria. The report recommends harmonizing GPP definitions, introducing mandatory carbon criteria, and expanding the scope of EU Directives to include embedded emissions.

• Public procurement represents a significant economic lever in the EU, accounting for approximately 15% of its GDP as of 2020.
• The construction and road transport sectors are critical targets for GPP because they each contribute about 12% of global government procurement greenhouse gas emissions.
• GPP implementation across the EU is fragmented and largely voluntary, with a notable gap between stated climate goals and actual practice.
• Italy is the only case study country that has implemented wide-scale mandatory GPP requirements through its Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) for 18 priority product groups, including construction and road transport.
• Specific high-ambition examples include the State of Berlin, which reduced GHG emissions by 47% through GPP in 15 product groups, and the Catalonia region, which aims for a 100% electric public vehicle fleet by 2030.
• A primary barrier to GPP uptake is the lack of capacity, expertise, and time among procurement officers, who often struggle to research green alternatives alongside their daily duties.
• There is a critical shortage of standardized, reliable, and product-specific environmental data, which prevents procurers from creating effective tender criteria.
• Monitoring of GPP is inconsistent across Member States; while France, Spain, and the Netherlands have systematic tracking, others like Germany and Poland have only recently begun or lack systematic oversight.
• The report argues that to achieve long-term climate targets, GPP must move beyond operational emissions to address embedded emissions (Scope 3) throughout the entire supply chain.
• The report recommends that the EU establish mandatory product-level minimum carbon criteria and harmonized reporting methods to create a consistent market signal for industry decarbonization.

APA

Lewis, A. N., Kaaret, K., Morales, E. T., Piirsalu, E., & Axelsson, K. (2023). Green Public Procurement: a key to decarbonizing construction and road transport in the EU. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/green-public-procurement-eu.pdf

Chicago

Lewis, Astrid Nilsson, Kaidi Kaaret, Eileen Torres Morales, Evelin Piirsalu, and Katarina Axelsson. Green Public Procurement: a key to decarbonizing construction and road transport in the EU. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2023. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/green-public-procurement-eu.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lewis |first1=Astrid Nilsson |last2=Kaaret |first2=Kaidi |last3=Morales |first3=Eileen Torres |last4=Piirsalu |first4=Evelin |last5=Axelsson |first5=Katarina |title=Green Public Procurement: a key to decarbonizing construction and road transport in the EU |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=February 2023 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/green-public-procurement-eu.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lewis2023green, author = {Lewis, Astrid Nilsson and Kaaret, Kaidi and Morales, Eileen Torres and Piirsalu, Evelin and Axelsson, Katarina}, title = {{Green Public Procurement: a key to decarbonizing construction and road transport in the EU}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/green-public-procurement-eu.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }