From pilot project to full certification

In 2024 the first Irish pilot project with the CO₂ Performance Ladder was completed: Jons Civil Engineering successfully delivered a motorway resurfacing project with an impressive 21% CO₂ reduction. That milestone demonstrated that the Ladder, widely used in the Netherlands and Belgium, also works effectively in the Irish context.

Now, less than one year later, Ireland has reached a new milestone in adopting the CO₂ Performance Ladder. Colas Joint Venture (Colas JV) has become the first company in Ireland to achieve a company-wide certification on the CO₂ Performance Ladder 3.1, at Level 3. This achievement underlines the growing role of the Ladder as a Green Public Procurement (GPP) tool in Ireland and shows how it can drive meaningful change in the infrastructure sector.

In the video below, Colas explains why the company chose the Ladder and what it means for their business.

Colas video thumbnail 2

Why Colas chose the Ladder

Colas JV provides motorway and bridge maintenance, high-speed pavement renewals and other asset management services, with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) as one of its primary clients. In 2023, TII issued its first tender incorporating the CO₂ Performance Ladder. Although Colas JV did not win that specific contract, the experience prompted the company to look deeper into the system.

“We decided to go for a company-wide certificate, because the Ladder is not only a compliance tool but also a way to align with our broader sustainability vision. We wanted to embed sustainability across all our operations, while also meeting TII’s green procurement standards and improving our chances of securing future contracts.”

Niall Lyons, Head of Asset Management at Colas JV.

In May 2025, Colas JV obtained its Level 3 certificate — a milestone both for the company and for the Irish market.

Operational changes and sustainability strategy

Even before certification, Colas JV had already made sustainability a strategic priority. The Ladder provided a clear structure to deepen and accelerate this effort. Guided by the Ladder, Colas JV implemented concrete measures such as:

To meet the Ladder’s requirements and ambitions, Colas JV appointed a full-time Sustainability Champion & Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Analyst to lead initiatives. This investment is aimed to ensure the Ladder is not an add-on, but should be integrated into the company’s daily operations and culture.

Building on existing standards

The Ladder builds on existing ISO certifications, but requires companies to go further by demonstrating Insight, Reduction, Communication and Collaboration.

According to Sustainability Champion Aymen Abbas, this created a broader cultural shift:

“Carbon management cannot be treated as an add-on — it must be woven into the core of how the business operates. The Ladder pushed us to embed sustainability into planning, delivery and the whole company culture.”

A milestone for the Irish market

Colas JV’s certification is more than an internal achievement. It demonstrates to other Irish contractors that ambitious carbon reduction is both possible and commercially valuable. For contracting authorities such as TII, it proves that the Ladder can raise the sustainability performance of its supply chains.

The message is clear: the CO₂ Performance Ladder is gaining ground in Ireland. After the success of the pilot project and now the first company-wide certification, more tenders have followed, with more in the pipeline. This case shows how the Ladder can drive innovation, resilience and carbon reduction in the Irish infrastructure sector.