The rules laid down in the Climate Agreement 2015 in Paris prescribe that CO2 emissions must be reduced. Therefore, the Netherlands must reduce CO2 emissions by 60% (compared to those in 1990) by the end of 2030. In 2050, emissions must be reduced by 95%. As mentioned in “Incentives for green retrofit”, in 2019, the Dutch government signed (in association with multiple civil society organizations) the National Climate Agreement (Klimaatakkoord). In this national agreement, concrete agreements were made for all sectors. In the 2021-2025 Coalition Agreement (Coalitieakkoord), these climate goals have been tightened with new intermediate steps: 60% CO2 reduction in 2030, 70% in 2035 and 80% in 2040. This has an indirect effect on the construction and building industries as they are responsible for more than 40% of CO2 emissions.

In December 2019, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands ordered the government to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by 2020. It marked an end to a six-years-long legal battle in a case brought by environmental campaigners on behalf of 900 Dutch citizens. It was expected that the outcome of this case would strengthen the government's commitment to CO2 reduction in the following years.