Linking two core research areas of Reiner Schmidt, public economic and environmental law, this article explores the legal framework for awarding concession contracts in environment-related areas like waste or sewarage disposal. A particular focus lies on the notion of concession. The adoption of the EU Concessions Directive 2014/23/EU as part of the recent EU Procument Law reform has contributed to legal certainty. However, the exclusion of the water sector and of concessions between entities within the public sector limits its scope, like the problematic interpretation of certain areas of national environmental law as prohibiting the award of concessions.