What is the GHG Protocol?
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) is an organization that was formed through a partnership between the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The organization helps companies reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by providing standards, guidance, tools, and training for businesses and governments to measure and manage them. They provide these tools by collaborating with governments, industry associations, NGOs, and companies. The GHG Protocol is most well-known for classifying scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
What are the different GHG Protocol Standards?
Corporate Standard: The GHG Protocol for Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard is meant for organizations preparing a corporate-level GHG emissions inventory. This standard provides instruction and recommendations for companies and other organizations. It is intended to help them build an effective strategy to reduce GHG emissions and increase transparency and standardization.
GHG Protocol for Cities: The Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC) sets out a comprehensive reporting and accounting framework for GHG emissions in cities. This standard allows for consistent and transparent measurements of GHG emissions within cities while allowing for the upscaling to the national level. It also allows for benchmarking through comparable data while demonstrating the role cities have to play in reducing global emissions.
Mitigation Goal Standard: The GHG Protocol Mitigation Goal Standard provides instruction for devising national and subnational mitigation goals, along with an approach to evaluating and reporting progress towards goal achievement. The standard was developed to follow up on the effects of policies and actions toward reducing GHG emissions. It aims to help governments reach targets and report to international organizations.
Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard: The GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard sets out guidance for companies to assess GHG emissions of their entire value chain to identify where to focus emission reduction activities. The scope 3 standard helps companies look at all the emissions, not just direct emissions resulting from their operations. The Standard allows users to account for 15 emissions categories within this scope.
Policy and Action Standard: The GHG Protocol Policy and Action Standard sets out a standardized framework for evaluating the effectiveness of specific policies and actions. It helps governments assess where improvements are needed to achieve the best results in reducing greenhouse gases. It is intended to help policymakers and decision-makers develop effective strategies with a better understanding of the impacts policies and actions have on reducing emissions.
Product Standard: The GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Standard helps to look at the entire life cycle of a product to identify where the highest emissions take place and where there is the most significant potential for reducing emissions throughout the product life cycle. Using this standard can help companies create a competitive advantage by streamlining the production process, reducing costs, and removing risks.
Project Protocol: The GHG Protocol Project Accounting is a comprehensive accounting tool to help organizations quantify the benefits of climate change mitigation projects. It provides concepts and methods for reporting greenhouse gas reductions from such projects. This standard is meant for “Any entity seeking to quantify GHG reductions resulting from projects may use the Project Protocol.” In other words, project developers, administrators, or designers of initiatives, systems, and programs that incorporate GHG projects.