The Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) has launched a pilot of the highly successful CO₂ Performance Ladder in Ireland. The first tender has been published by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), with other contracting authorities expecting to use the CO₂ Performance Ladder over the coming months.

The government’s annual public sector purchasing accounts for 10% to 12% of the country’s GDP – and thus has the potential to stimulate the provision of more resource-efficient, less polluting goods, services and works within the marketplace.

Practical instrument

The CO₂ Performance Ladder is a practical instrument that can be used to stimulate structural CO₂ reduction through procurement. More specifically, it provides an award advantage in tenders for applicants that ensure the implementation of an effective CO₂ management system.

Pat Barry, CEO at the Irish Green Building Council, said: “By incorporating the CO₂ Performance Ladder into their tendering processes, public bodies can send a clear message to the market: sustainability is not an option; it is an imperative. The CO₂ Performance Ladder is a proven instrument in public procurement and carbon emissions reduction. It has been highly successful in mainstreaming green public procurement in the Netherlands, and we are pleased to help bring it to Ireland.”

Dr Vincent O’Malley, head of environmental policy and compliance at Transport Infrastructure Ireland, said: “TII is fully committed to carbon emission reduction and to the advancement of a greener future for Ireland. We believe that the CO₂ Performance Ladder is a practical tool that can help us achieve our sustainability goals.”

Translate climate ambition into reality

The use of the CO₂ Performance Ladder can enable Irish governments and businesses to translate their climate ambition into reality. With a certificate on the CO₂ Performance Ladder, companies are rewarded with a concrete award advantage during the tendering process.

A contractor indicates in the tender that it will perform the contract on one of the five ambition levels of the CO₂ Performance Ladder. The higher the ‘step’, the more effort organisations invest in CO₂ reduction.

Commitment at a higher-level result in a higher award advantage, thereby increasing the probability of winning the contract, and enabling contracting authorities to stimulate the sustainable economy. The commissioning party decides the award advantage an organisation can receive on each level of the Ladder.

The CO₂ Performance Ladder in Ireland is coordinated by the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC), in collaboration with the Foundation for Climate Friendly Procurement and Business – Stichting Klimaatvriendelijk Aanbesteden en Ondernemen, SKAO, in Dutch. SKAO is the owner and manager of the CO₂ Performance Ladder. It is an independent, not for profit foundation.

For further information on the pilot, click here.