What is the CO2 Performance Ladder?
The CO2 Performance Ladder is a scheme with which an organisation shows that it knows its CO2 emissions, sets targets for them and demonstrably works on reduction. The scheme manager is SKAO. If you want a certificate, an independent certification body assesses whether you can demonstrate this.
The scheme works with levels at which you can be assessed. Which requirements belong to which level and how the assessment works changes with new versions. Always use the current SKAO handbook as your source, and not what you read somewhere earlier, including in this guide.
Why do clients ask for it?
The ladder is mostly used by contracting authorities that want to weigh sustainability. In some tenders a certificate gives you an advantage in the evaluation, in others it is a requirement. That is stated in the tender documents, so read them carefully before you prepare a bid.
You often see it in construction, infrastructure, installation and transport, including among subcontractors: a main contractor sometimes asks its partners for insight into their emissions. Even without a tender, it is a structured way to get a better grip on your energy and fuel use, and with it your costs.
The four ideas behind the ladder
The ladder rests on four ideas. They are easy to remember and form the common thread in everything you record. Below they are in plain words, without the formal requirements: those are in the SKAO handbook and can differ per version.
- Insight: you know how much CO2 your organisation emits and where it comes from.
- Reduction: you set targets to lower those emissions and carry out measures.
- Transparency: you tell people inside and outside the organisation what you do and what it delivers.
- Participation: you contribute to initiatives with others, for example in your sector or chain, to progress together.
Does the ladder suit you, and how does it relate to other schemes?
The ladder is relevant if clients ask for it or if you are looking for a fixed structure for your CO2 approach. First find out what your customers expect, so you do not invest in a certificate nobody values. Also look at the tenders you want to take part in over the coming years: which sustainability questions keep coming back in them?
ISO 14001 is a management system for all environmental topics, while the ladder is specifically about CO2. VSME is a reporting standard, not a certification scheme. You can combine them, because the data (consumption, footprint, targets) is largely the same: measure it properly once and you can use it for all three.
How do you start?
Start small and in the right order. First know what is asked of you, then know what you emit, and only then choose targets and measures. That way you do not work on something your client does not ask for. Plan every step with an owner and a date, so the process does not stall.
- Ask your clients whether a certificate or level is required or valued
- Read the current SKAO handbook and determine what is relevant for your situation
- Define the boundaries of your organisation and appoint an owner
- Collect consumption data for a full year and calculate your footprint
- Set reduction targets and choose measures with an owner and deadline
- Plan your communication and choose an initiative to take part in
- Request quotes from certification bodies
What do you record?
The ladder is about being able to demonstrate, so recording is half the work. Think of the footprint report with boundaries, sources, calculation method and emission factors, the reduction targets with a base year, the measures plan with owners and the progress per year. Also record how you communicate internally and externally and which initiatives you take part in.
Keep the supporting evidence with it: invoices, fuel overviews, meter readings and meeting minutes in which management reviews progress. An auditor wants to be able to follow how you get from source data to the final figure. Keep documents under control with versions and approval, so it is clear which version applies.
A first year in practice
An example, entirely fictional: an installation company with two branches and a vehicle fleet hears from an important client that a certificate counts in the evaluation. In the first quarter the company collects gas, electricity and fuel data for the past year and reads the handbook. In the second quarter the footprint and a first reduction target follow.
In the third quarter the company decides on measures, such as driving behaviour, planning and replacing heating, and agrees how to inform staff and customers. In the fourth quarter it checks internally whether everything is in order and requests quotes from certification bodies. The pace differs per organisation.
Common mistakes
The most common problem is starting too late: a footprint over a full year takes time to build up, and a tender does not wait for you. After that, a lack of traceability often follows: figures sit in a spreadsheet, but nobody knows where they came from.
- Starting only when the tender is already running
- Working with an outdated version of the handbook
- Figures without a source, so nobody can trace them
- Setting targets without measures and owners
- Forgetting communication and participation
- Leaving the whole process with one person
How BrydgeOne supports this
For the requirements themselves you use the SKAO handbook, because BrydgeOne contains no scheme text. The Energy & Emissions module calculates your CO2 footprint across scope 1, 2 and 3 from consumption per emission source, with emission factors versioned every year. The annual report as a PDF shows the factors used as an audit trail.
From a source you create a reduction objective in Objectives & KPIs with one click, with last year's CO2e as the baseline. KPIs can come automatically from Energy & Emissions, and you see whether you are on track. You manage documents in Document management. If you also want to report according to VSME, VSME & sustainability builds on the same data.
© 2026 BrydgeOne. General information, not legal or other professional advice. No rights can be derived from this article.