This study examines how different sustainability assessment approaches influence climate-policy choices when evaluating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across industrial value chains. Using Spain as an empirical setting, we apply Environmentally Extended Input–Output Tables combined with Production Layer Decomposition to quantify Scope 1–2–3 emissions and assess economic and employment impacts. The results show that indirect emissions dominate most value chains, revealing structural dependencies that are not captured by sector-level inventories. Incorporating social and economic dimensions highlights the need for transition pathways that minimise employment disruption while maximising environmental gains. Although public procurement can enhance the uptake of emerging low-carbon and circular-economy technologies, it has limited quantitative influence on total value-chain emissions. The findings demonstrate that value-chain-based sustainability assessments provide a more comprehensive basis for designing coherent, equitable, and effective decarbonisation strategies.
Retegi et al. (2026) studied this question.