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Sustainable Public Procurement in Large Infrastructure Projects—Policy Implementation for Carbon Emission Reductions

Author

Listed:
  • Sofia Lingegård

    (Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Johanna Alkan Olsson

    (Center for Environment and Climate Science, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden)

  • Anna Kadefors

    (Department of Real Estate and Construction Management, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
    Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden)

  • Stefan Uppenberg

    (WSP, 121 88 Stockholm, Sweden)

Abstract

The infrastructure construction sector is a significant source of carbon emissions, and more stringent procurement requirements are central to meeting reduction targets in this demand-led and project-based industry. This paper aims to analyze the implementation of international policies for reducing carbon emissions in infrastructure construction, focusing on the interaction between policy ambitions and procurement practices. Based on case studies of large projects and their contexts in five countries worldwide: Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, and the US, a cross-country comparison is performed of how policies and practices for carbon reduction develop across multiple implementation levels. Three levels are included in the analysis: policy, industry, and project level. We identify the projects as either drivers of policy goals, frontrunners in industry-level development processes, or translators of national policy. These roles, and the associated pathways for carbon emission reduction, are context-specific and depend on the policy ambitions at the national or regional level, the maturity of the supplier market, and, often, on the strategies of individual champions at the project level. Long-term learning processes, both within and between the various levels, are essential for advancing carbon reduction.

Suggested Citation

  • Sofia Lingegård & Johanna Alkan Olsson & Anna Kadefors & Stefan Uppenberg, 2021. "Sustainable Public Procurement in Large Infrastructure Projects—Policy Implementation for Carbon Emission Reductions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-21, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:20:p:11182-:d:653256
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Klara Granheimer & Per-Erik Eriksson & Tina Karrbom Gustavsson, 2022. "Adaptability in Public Procurement of Engineering Services Promoting Carbon Reduction: An Organizational Control Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-18, May.
    5. Raymond Stokke & Xinlu Qiu & Magnus Sparrevik & Shannon Truloff & Iselin Borge & Luitzen Boer, 2023. "Procurement for zero-emission construction sites: a comparative study of four European cities," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 72-86, March.
    6. Lachlan Curmi & Kumudu Kaushalya Weththasinghe & Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman Tariq, 2022. "Global Policy Review on Embodied Flows: Recommendations for Australian Construction Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-19, November.
    7. Jatta Pitkänen & Hanna Lehtimäki & Ari Jokinen, 2023. "Sustainability Project Champions as Environmental Leaders in a City Organization: Driving the Urban Circular Economy," South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, , vol. 12(1), pages 52-64, April.

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