GHG Protocol and ISO partner to unify carbon accounting standards

The GHG Protocol and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) are working to combine their respective greenhouse gas accounting standards into one harmonised set.

The landmark partnership seeks to reduce the sustainability reporting burden for companies and improve interoperability between the wide range of standards in this space.

Under the agreement, ISO and GHG Protocol will combine standards from the ISO 1406X family of standards and the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting, Scope 2 and Scope 3 Standards – marking “ a new era in carbon accounting”.

The two organisations also commit to co-developing any new standards around GHG emissions measurement and reporting. This will include a joint product carbon footprint standard to respond to companies’ demand for more granular data from across their value chain. 

“ISO is proud to announce this landmark partnership with GHG Protocol, which drives forward an ambition that enables co-creation, resulting in a harmonised portfolio of standards. Both ISO and GHG Protocol have a shared vision to efficiently advance climate action and simplify the task for all stakeholders. This is a new era for the carbon accounting landscape and both organisations are thrilled to be working together,” Sergio Mujica, ISO Secretary General said. 

‘Historic agreement’

Until now, sustainability reporting standards have been developed separately, with different scopes and guidance, leading to potential confusion and a greater administrative burden for companies.

This partnership between two of the leading standards organisations marks a shift towards more harmonisation within this fragmented ‘alphabet soup’ – supporting aligned climate action across the corporate world.

“We are very pleased to announce this historic agreement that leverages the respective strengths of both organisations. Harmonising corporate, product and project-level GHG accounting standards is key. With users top of mind, this partnership establishes a new mechanism for long-term collaboration, demonstrating our commitment to reducing complexity in the field of international standards and allowing the development of the core frameworks needed to enable meaningful climate action across stakeholder groups,” Geraldine Matchett, Steering Committee Chair of GHG Protocol added. 

The news was welcomed by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), with Chair Emmanuel Faber noting that "consistent, comparable carbon data is essential for investors globally enabling informed capital allocation decisions”.