For over a year, there have been rumblings in the
biomethane sector about the GHG Protocol, and these have been getting louder in
recent months, with over 50 biomethane trade bodies and companies writing to the WRI – the administrators of the GHG Protocol
– expressing concerns about proposed guidance and urging them to take action.
What is the GHG Protocol?
The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol provides the world’s
most widely used GHG accounting standards, adopted by governments and
businesses to report GHG emissions and monitor progress on mitigation
strategies. The GHG Protocol defines the concept of Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope
3 emissions for company reporting, and provides necessary guidance for the GHG
accounting world.
- Scope 1: Direct emissions from business operations, including fuel use in factories and logistics.
- Scope 2: Emissions associated with purchased energy for the business, mainly electricity and heat.
- Scope 3: Emissions associated with purchased products and services, as well as downstream emissions.
Typically, GHG targets set by governments and
voluntary schemes are linked to Scope 1 emissions, so mitigating actions should
apply to Scope 1 activities (e.g. energy efficiency measures and switching to
renewable fuel). However, some voluntary schemes also look at Scope 2 and 3,
and mitigating actions can also apply there (e.g. changes in supply chain).
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