PAS 2080 vs CO2 Performance Ladder: Which Fits Procurement Best?

The CO2 Performance Ladder is a sustainable procurement tool that supports procurement decision makers with a clear way to assess the carbon maturity of suppliers, whilst offering unique commercial incentives to promote a low-carbon economy.

PAS 2080 is a BSI framework, giving organisations or individual projects the opportunity to have their holistic whole-life carbon management approach assessed.

This blog compares the two, highlights similarities and differences, shows their different use cases and how they can work incredibly well in tandem:

What is PAS 2080?

PAS 2080 (Carbon Management in Buildings and Infrastructure) is a globally recognised BSI standard in collaboration with industry and government. It provides a comprehensive framework for managing whole-life carbon. The framework can either be adopted by organisations to govern their carbon management processes or be applied to specific projects.

Key features of PAS 2080 include:

• Organisational or project implementation: Can be used to establish a carbon management process across an entire organisation or for a specific project
• Whole life carbon focus: Requires the assessment and management of carbon emissions over a project’s entire lifecycle or across all company operations
• Stakeholder collaboration: Emphasises early collaboration between all parties (clients, designers, contractors, suppliers) to identify and implement carbon reduction opportunities
• Demonstrating capability: Signals a robust and serious process for managing carbon to tendering authorities, investors, and clients

What is the CO2 Performance Ladder?

The CO2 Performance Ladder  is both a CO2 management system and a procurement instrument. Originating in the Netherlands and now expanding across Europe, it is purpose-built to leverage the power of public procurement to drive decarbonisation.
It incentivises companies to reduce their carbon emissions by rewarding them with a direct, calculated advantage in public tenders.

Key features of the CO2 Performance Ladder include:

• Direct tendering advantage: Certified companies gain a direct advantage in tenders, like a fictitious discount, linking their certified carbon maturity to financial reward
• Tiered system: Allows companies to enter at a level matching their current capabilities, providing a roadmap for continuous improvement thanks to its tiered system
• Procurement focus: Designed primarily as a procurement tool, it translates sustainability efforts into a quantifiable commercial advantage and can also be used for internal supply chain management
• Third-party verification: Independent auditors verify all certifications and annual progress, giving contracting authorities full confidence in a company’s carbon reduction claims

Similarities

While their application differs, both frameworks are built on a foundation of robust carbon management principles. They share the following necessary directions:

• Establish strong governance: Both necessitate clear leadership, defined roles, and accountability for carbon management and reduction.
• Data measuring/target-setting: A core requirement for both is the establishment of a carbon footprint baseline against which future reduction targets are set and measured.
• Reliance on auditing: Both standards require independent, third-party verification to confirm that the organisation is meeting the required standards.
• Stakeholder engagement: Both encourage organisations to look beyond their own direct emissions and collaborate with their supply chain to identify carbon hotspots and drive wider change.

Differences

While both frameworks promote decarbonisation, they differ significantly in their structure, application, and validation process:

Summary at a Glance

How They Work Together

PAS 2080 and the CO2 Performance Ladder are highly complementary. PAS 2080 provides the practical “how,” while the CO2 Performance Ladder offers a way to measure, benchmark and incentivise carbon reduction. Together, they help organisations embed carbon management into both operational practices and strategic evaluation, making it easier for procurement professionals and project teams to deliver measurable results.

If you’d like to explore how TfL is adopting the CO2 Performance Ladder in their tenders and how it could work for your organisation, feel free to book a time via my Calendly link.