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A Historical Partnership for Climate Accountability

In a significant development for global climate accountability, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has partnered with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). This revolutionary alliance is set to harmonize current greenhouse gas (GHG) standards and create new, unified guidelines for emissions accounting and reporting. Both organizations bring their expertise together to simplify the complexities surrounding emissions reporting, ultimately driving effective climate action.

The GHG Protocol is a joint initiative by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Under the terms of the agreement, ISO and GHG Protocol will consolidate their existing GHG standards into internationally recognized guidelines. This means that the ISO 1406X standards will be fused with the Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard from the GHG Protocol, along with revisions focusing on scope 2 and scope 3 emissions, providing a more cohesive framework across various sectors.

Benefits of the Partnership

This collaboration marks a crucial step towards creating a common vocabulary and protocol for emissions accounting globally. By streamlining processes, the partnership aims to make compliance easier for enterprises, create more consistency for regulators, and reduce the measurement and reporting burden for users across the board.

Sergio Mujica, the Secretary-General of ISO, expressed his enthusiasm about this partnership by stating, “ISO is pleased to announce this historic alliance with the GHG Protocol, which brings forth an ambition that will lead to collaborative creation, resulting in a harmonized portfolio of standards. Both ISO and GHG Protocol share a vision for effectively driving climate action that simplifies the work for all stakeholders.”

On the other hand, Geraldine Matchett, Chair of the GHG Protocol Steering Committee, emphasized the importance of harmonizing GHG accounting standards. She noted, “It is essential to align GHG accounting standards at the corporate, product, and project levels. This partnership sets a new mechanism for long-term collaboration, demonstrating our commitment to reducing complexity and developing the necessary frameworks for significant climate action among diverse stakeholder groups.”

Addressing Challenges in Climate Action

The fragmentation of existing standards and policies has long posed obstacles to effective climate action. This partnership not only seeks to address these challenges but also aims to establish a unified set of standards with both logos, which encompasses corporate, product, and project accounting.

Both organizations have seen widespread adoption of their respective standards worldwide. Governments frequently utilize the ISO 1406X series for legislation and regulatory frameworks and as the foundation for GHG reporting and verification in numerous sectors. Major sustainability initiatives and disclosure entities, including the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the IFRS Foundation/ISSB, the U.S. SEC, and the GRI, rely on the standards set by the GHG Protocol.

By combining the ISO 1406X series and the GHG Protocol’s standards, this partnership is expected to deliver technical rigor, political relevance, and practical utility in a cohesive set of guidelines.

Future Direction

Experts from both ISO and GHG Protocol will collaborate through an integrated technical process to develop consistent standards that meet the needs of all users while supporting robust, science-based decarbonization efforts across regions, industries, and economies.

This partnership represents an exciting new era for carbon accounting, creating opportunities for organizations to streamline accountability efforts and ultimately contribute to global climate goals more effectively. By establishing a unified platform for cooperation, ISO and the GHG Protocol are set to make significant strides toward combating climate change together.

For more information, visit ISO and GHG Protocol.