Sustainable Public Procurement in Germany: A Turning Point? The German Procurement Transformation Package (Vergabetransformationspaket) could be a key instrument in ensuring that procurement is placed as a strategic lever toward impactful climate action. The CO₂ Performance Ladder (CO₂PL) aligns with these efforts, offering a practical tool to accelerate decarbonisation and support sustainable transformation in procurement. In German policy discussions, public procurement is generally recognised as a key political instrument to advance the decarbonisation in Germany. The main approaches include: Modernisation of procurement law to simplify the integration of sustainable criteria and improve access for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Climate-friendly infrastructure investments, such as low-emission vehicles and energy-efficient buildings. Digitalisation and reduction of bureaucracy to make procurement processes more efficient and transparent. Support for regional economies to create more sustainable and resilient supply chains. Enhancing economic efficiency to ensure responsible and targeted use of public funds. The new government has the opportunity to build on existing efforts in sustainable public procurement and fully harness its potential to drive sustainable transformation in consumption and production. A concrete step in this direction would be the swift adoption of the Procurement Transformation Package, which has already been referenced in the National Circular Economy Strategy (NKWS). On a European level, changes to public procurement regulations are currently already underway and will have direct impacts on German public procurement regulations. The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the evaluation of the EU Public Procurement Directives, seeking input from stakeholders on their effectiveness and relevance. The revision of the Public Procurement Directives and its impacts on the implementation of the CO₂ Performance Ladder will be closely monitored to ensure continuous alignment. To learn more about the CO₂PL, we invite interested cities, companies and procurement officers that have tickets to participate at the Vergabekongress in Berlin, Germany in May 2025 to attend our upcoming webinar and connect with us for further discussions! The CO2PL webinar will be hosted online on 30 April 2025. To engage with us in the topic of sustainable procurement, please contact us at co2pl@cscp.org. For further questions, please contact Mike Tabel.