Understanding the most common emissions frameworks, standards and protocols
Tackle your business emissions footprint or achieve carbon neutrality without drowning in a sea of confusing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and carbon jargon
Energy and environment managers are adopting terms like carbon neutral, net zero emission and climate positive for their businesses, but they are not always correct
We read the definition by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and decided to break it down for you
“Carbon”, “emission” and “climate” are not interchangeable
Carbon footprint, reductions, neutral or negative refers to CO2 emissions only. Net Zero and Negative Emissions refers to all GHG emissions. Finally, Climate Neutral and Climate Positive tackles GHG Emissions plus additional environmental benefits.
Legend
GHG Emissions + Environmental Benefits
All GHG Emissions
CO2 Emissions Only
Atmospheric removals greater than releases
Common Terms
Atmospheric balance of release and removal
Anthropogenic GHG Emissions
Carbon Neutral OR Net Zero Carbon Emissions
Carbon Negative
Net Zero Emissions (NZE)
Net Negative Emissions OR Negative Emissions
Carbon Reductions
Carbon Emissions or Carbon or Carbon Footprint
GHG Emissions or Emissions
Climate Neutral
Climate Positive
Human Activity based Emissions
The difference between the "carbon", "emission", and "climate" statements
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Carbon related claims
Relates to the carbon dioxide portion of the human driven greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
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Emissions related claims
Going beyond just the carbon component, to cover all sources of GHG emissions, such as refrigerants and/or process emissions.
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Climate related claims
Take emissions a step further and includes additional environmental benefits.
Lowering Carbon or Greenhouse emissions?
Carbon-related targets are a positive step, but addressing GHG emissions is a priority to reach Net Zero Emissions (NZE) or better and remain below 1.5⁰C of warming.
GHG Accounting or Carbon accounting:
Quantifies the GHG or carbon emissions associated with an entity. The GHG Protocol is the most well-known process for carbon accounting.
There are numerous frameworks, standards and protocols out there. We have summarised the
most commonly known and utilised to clarify what is relevant to you and your business.
Frameworks, Standards and Protocols
Australian government initiative promoting voluntary carbon action for businesses. It offers a Carbon Neutrality Certification for organizations, products, services, events, buildings, and precincts. To achieve certification, businesses must measure and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and offset any remaining emissions by purchasing carbon credits, following the Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard and a thorough application process with third-party validation
Businesses that have already obtained a NABERS Energy rating can easily pursue Carbon Neutral Building Certification through the Climate Active Standards. NABERS provides a transition pathway for energy ratings to be converted into carbon certification, allowing for the purchase of renewable energy or carbon offsets to offset any remaining emissions for buildings with a NABERS Energy rating of 4 stars or above
RE100 - Led by the Climate Group, drives businesses to transition to 100% renewable electricity voluntarily. Members commit to renewable energy and report annually on energy consumption, onsite generation, and renewable electricity purchases. It provides a less intensive process than Net Zero Emissions (NZE) and serves as a viable interim target for companies aiming for NZE
.
EP100 - Led by the Climate Group, focuses on measuring and reporting energy efficiency improvements globally. Although it is not a Carbon Neutral or Net Zero Emissions framework, it plays a crucial role by directly reducing energy consumption, which is a cost-effective method for carbon abatement.
The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) is a process to drive climate action in the private sector by enabling organisations to commit to emissions reductions targets that align with the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5C. This is achieved through reducing GHG emissions by half by 2030 and to net zero by 2050. SBTi is recognised as a global leader in ambition and requires participants to reduce emissions through direct actions rather than carbon offsets. SBTi has also published a Net-Zero Standard for corporations.
Internationally recognised standard for recognising carbon neutrality for organisations and products. This standard defines requirements for quantifying, reducing, and offsetting GHG emissions. The standard supports external verification to validate that an organisation or product has met the requirements.
The most widely recognised emissions accounting standard. This is due to it 20+ year history of development and comprehensive nature, classifying emissions as three types. It is applicable to companies & organisations, corporate value chains, cities, products, projects and policies. The GHG protocol is globally recognised with the highest uptake of all accounting methods.
Australia’s first mandated national GHG reporting mechanism introduced in 2007. NGERS applies only to corporations or facilities exceeding set thresholds of GHG. There are currently over 400 organisations reporting under NGERS. The accounting method is based upon the GHG Protocol and covers Scope 1 and 2 emissions only.
14067
ISO14067 is a standard that is best considered as supplementary to ISO14064. ISO14067 is a GHG accounting process related specifically to products and services. It is based upon GHG Protocol and provides an avenue for certification of products and services, similar to PAS2060.
14064
The ISO14064 standards are heavily based upon the GHG Protocol but focussed largely on the emissions for organisations and reduction projects. This is purely an GHG accounting protocol however its distinction from the GHG Protocol is the inclusion of a third-party validation process.
Knowing where each standard and protocol sits
Now that we learned the different frameworks, certifications and protocols, we can see how they relate. RE100 and EP100 are tied to Carbon Reductions. Climate Active, Nabers and PAS2060 are for Carbon Negative. Net Negative Emissions have Science Based Targets. Finally, GHG Protocol, ISO and NGERs are tied to GHG Emissions.
Human Activity based Emissions
CO2 Emissions Only
Carbon Reductions
GHG Emissions or Emissions
Climate Neutral
GHG Accounting Frameworks
Legend
Net Zero Emissions (NZE)
Carbon Negative
Climate Positive
Applicable Frameworks
GHG Emissions + Environmental Benefits
Anthropogenic GHG Emissions
Carbon Neutral OR Net Zero Carbon Emissions
Net Negative Emissions OR Negative Emissions
Atmospheric balance of release and removal
Carbon Emissions or Carbon or Carbon Footprint
Common Terms
Atmospheric removals greater than releases
All GHG Emissions
What are you looking for?
Use the tables below to discover what’s the best certification for your business in line to your objectives.
What’s the answer for you?
Take the 5-min quiz below to check which protocols can be useful for your specific case.