DeCarb-Pro: pricing carbon into public procurement

DeCarb-Pro: decarbonise public procurement in North-West Europe

Account for the future
SKAO is one of twelve partners in this Interreg North-West Europe project, which runs from 2023 to 2027. The total budget is €5.8M, including €3.5M in EU funding, to help local authorities reward decarbonisation in their tenders.

Reducing emissions through smarter procurement

Public procurement drives a significant share of local authorities’ CO₂ emissions. DeCarb-Pro embeds CO₂ pricing directly into tenders, so companies compete on emissions as well as price. The approach builds on Dutch and French experience with the CO₂ Performance Ladder and I4CE, now extended across twelve partner regions in North-West Europe.

15% of NWE emissions come from local authority procurement;
12 cities and agencies piloting carbon pricing;
85+ authorities actively involved.

Twelve partners, five countries

DeCarb-Pro brings together local authorities, energy agencies, city networks and market partners across the Netherlands, France, Germany, Ireland and Belgium, including Climate Foundation HIER / SKAO, Klimaatverbond, Climate Alliance, the City of Paris and Strasbourg Eurometropolis. See all partners.

Climate foundation HIER

City of Essen

City of Paris

City of Amsterdam

SKAO’s role in the partnership

SKAO shares over fifteen years of Dutch experience with CO₂ pricing and procurement through the CO₂ Performance Ladder. At the project’s final event, SKAO’s Thijs Wentink leads a hands-on workshop on using the Ladder as both a CO₂ management system and a green public procurement instrument.

Discover the CO₂ Performance Ladder

Every tonne of carbon has a price. Let’s make it count.

On 5 November 2026, DeCarb-Pro brings three years of results to Brussels: the pilots, the tools and the people who made carbon pricing work in practice.

5 November 2026, Brussels
Square Brussels Convention Center
full-day event with keynotes, workshops and a roundtable

The DeCarb-Pro project is funded by the Interreg North-West Europe programme.

Find out more and register

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Learn & join DeCarb-Pro

DeCarb-Pro: pioneering decarbonisation