Implementation of the CO₂ Performance Ladder in Ireland

The Ladder in Ireland

Ireland’s two-year pilot of the CO₂ Performance Ladder (2023–2025), led by the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) in partnership with SKAO, has been successfully completed. The pilot demonstrated that the Ladder is both feasible and effective within the Irish context – and that it drives meaningful carbon reduction across the built environment.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) was the first procuring authority to apply the Ladder as an award criterion. The results on the first completed project were striking: an 84.5% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and 311 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents saved. Three companies – Roadstone, Jons Civil Engineering and Colas JV – have now achieved company-wide certification.

Building on this success, TII has embedded the Ladder into three new four-year frameworks, and IGBC is preparing for a broader national rollout supported by Construct Innovate. Several additional public bodies have expressed strong interest in adopting the Ladder.

“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.”
– Pat Barry, CEO at the Irish Green Building Council

Our Irish partner

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 (in Dutch: SKAO).

Would you like more information on implementation in Ireland or to get started? Check igbc.ie or contact Marianne Ibrahim.