Feasibility analysis of the CO₂ Performance Ladder in Brazil

Study summary

Brazil, 2026

Public procurement accounts for approximately 15% of global CO₂ emissions, representing a direct lever for economic decarbonization. In Brazil, the public procurement market moves approximately R$ 1.6 trillion per year—about 12.5% ​​of GDP—with still largely unexplored potential to advance the climate agenda. The Brazilian legal framework already recognizes sustainable national development as a principle of public procurement, but a persistent mismatch is observed between this normative potential and administrative practice. CO₂PL is a tool with great potential to support this transition to a low-carbon economy, being recognized by the OECD, the IPCC, and the World Economic Forum as an international best practice in sustainable public procurement.

Main themes

• Sustainable public procurement
• Decarbonization
• CO₂ Performance Ladder
• Climate policy
• Environmental performance of suppliers

Read this study if you…

• Wants to understand how the State's purchasing power can be used as a direct instrument of climate policy.
• Seeks references on the CO₂ Performance Ladder and its applicability in contexts outside Europe.
• Is interested in the Brazilian legal and public policy mechanisms that already allow the incorporation of sustainability criteria into public procurement.
• Works with government, the productive sector, or civil society and seeks instruments to advance low-carbon public procurement in Brazil.
• Wants to understand the challenges and opportunities of implementing environmental certification systems in a country of continental dimensions and a federative structure.

Suggested citation:
‍_{Santos, F.; Abadia, L.; Spanó, E. (2026). Feasibility Analysis: The CO₂ Performance Ladder in Brazil. Instituto Jataí.}