A new era in carbon accounting begins: ISO and the GHG Protocol agree to harmonize their existing portfolios of GHG standards and co-develop new standards for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions.Until now, greenhouse gas standards have been developed separately with varying scopes and verification guidelines.
The new ISO-GHG Protocol partnership represents a fundamental shift towards integration and co-development, allowing users to rely on a consistent framework and reducing potential confusion in the market.
THE AGREEMENT
Under the agreement, ISO and the GHG Protocol will combine their core GHG standards into harmonized co-branded international standards .This includes standards from the ISO 1406X family of standards, along with the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting, Scope 2 and Scope 3 standards.
Additionally, because a consistent approach across the full spectrum of carbon accounting activities is essential, the organizations will work on a joint standard for product carbon footprints , reflecting the increase in companies seeking access to more granular data from across their value chain to guide decarbonization decisions.
The harmonized portfolio will represent an important step towards:
- a more common global language for emissions accounting,
- simplifying processes for businesses, increasing consistency for policy makers
- reducing measurement and reporting burdens for all users.
"This partnership is a timely and critical step towards greater climate responsibility .
A unified set of rules for reporting greenhouse gas emissions will help raise ambition, enable credible pathways to net-zero emissions , and build trust across borders. As countries prepare for COP30, clarity and consistency in carbon accounting are essential to accelerate progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement,” said Dan Ioschpe, COP30 High-Level Champion.
" Investors need consistent and reliable data to deploy capital effectively in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Together, ISO and the GHG Protocol can provide consistent protocols as a basis for global disclosure regimes, offering the credibility and simplicity the market needs,” said Clara Barby, Senior Partner at Just Climate.
Experts from both organizations will now collaborate through an integrated technical process , with the aim of delivering consistent standards that meet the needs of all users and support robust, science-based decarbonization across all regions, sectors, and economies. (Source: https://www.iso.org/ )