As the urgency and scale of 1.5°C-aligned climate action continue to grow, science-based greenhouse gas accounting and reporting standards are needed more than ever. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol continues to provide the world's most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards and is evolving its governance to further bolster the credibility and integrity of these standards. The transformation comes as GHG Protocol seeks to recruit members for its new Steering Committee and Independent Standards Board that will oversee the update and maintenance of GHG Protocol’s flagship suite of standards for business (including the Corporate Standard, Scope 2 Guidance, and Scope 3 Standard).

This governance restructuring is part of GHG Protocol’s overall strategy refresh. In May 2022, GHG Protocol initiated a strategy and organizational review process, including soliciting feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders. This feedback calls for a more formalized governance process and increased transparency and speed of standards development. 

Under the new structure, organizational governance will now be overseen by a Steering Committee, which will provide strategic guidance on the goals and direction of the GHG Protocol. This body will approve GHG Protocol’s mission, vision, strategy, and rules of procedure, appoint members to the Independent Standards Board, provide oversight of the Independent Standards Board and ratify its decisions.  The GHG Protocol Secretariat will continue to be hosted by World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Center for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). 

The new Independent Standards Board, made up of leading global experts will oversee the standards development process, and ultimately approve final standards and guidance. Under the oversight of the Independent Standards Board, the Technical Working Groups will be convened on specific topics to develop the technical content of the standards and Review Groups, open to all stakeholders, will provide feedback on draft standards. Pilot Testing Groups may also be convened as needed.  

Next Steps and How to Get Involved 

Steering Committee and Independent Standards Board

For more information on these bodies, including instructions on how to apply, please click here. Applications are due by January 31, 2024. 

Candidates will be considered on a rolling basis and likely seated in multiple waves. It is anticipated that both bodies will be fully constituted by the end of Q2 2024. 

Technical Working Groups and Review Groups

Additional information on the Technical Working Groups and Review Groups, including on how to submit an expression of interest, will be published on our website prior to the end of 2023. Experts and stakeholders should refer to the Technical Working Group expression of interest documentation (once published) to assist their decision on whether to apply to the Independent Standards Board or Technical Working Groups. Applicants can apply to both bodies, but will be selected for no more than one. 

More details on the roles, composition, decision-making criteria, and process will be provided on GHG Protocol’s website and announced through regular communications. If you’d like to receive email updates from GHG Protocol, please subscribe here.