ISO and GHG Protocol to partner on ‘common language’ for emissions accounting

Global standard setters unveil initiative to harmonise and develop emission standards

The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the GHG Protocol are teaming up to develop a “common global language for emissions accounting”. 

The partnership, announced today, was described as a “new era for the carbon accounting landscape” by ISO’s secretary general Sergio Mujica, and “historic” by the GHG Protocol’s steering committee chair, Geraldine Matchett.

The International Sustainability Standard Board welcomed the news, saying it would “bring further efficiency and comparability to international climate-related disclosures”.

Under the agreement, the pair will harmonise their existing standards, including ISO’s 1406X family, which helps companies assess, validate and verify their emissions, and the GHG Protocol’s corporate accounting and reporting standards for Scope 2 and 3 emissions. 

They will also collaborate on new standards that they say will simplify “processes for companies, increasing consistency for policymakers, and reducing measurement and reporting burdens for all users”.

London-based carbon accounting specialists CarbonChain claimed the partnership “represents a major step toward making carbon accounting more practical, consistent, and effective for companies worldwide”.

In a social media statement, it predicted that it would ultimately “create a single source of truth by combining GHG Protocol practicality with ISO formality” and simplify third-party verification of emissions data.