Suite of Corporate Standards and Guidance: Technical Working Groups Update Quarter 4 2024

Since the four Technical Working Groups tasked with updating GHG Protocol’s suite of corporate standards were first convened in September, there have been 24 meetings across the four TWGs and related subgroups. Below are the topics that have been introduced thus far in each TWG. You can view the materials from previous and future Technical Working Group meetings through GHG Protocol’s Standards Development and Governance Repository.

• Corporate Standard Technical Working Group: considering updating the Corporate Standard objectives, considering better aligning the financial control consolidation approach with financial accounting, and considering requiring scope 3 in the Corporate Standard.
• Scope 2 Technical Working Group: reviewing changes to required reporting methods, exploring improvements to the location-based method.
• Scope 3 Technical Working Group: improving disclosure of scope 3 inventory quality, considering relevance and significance in scope 3 boundary setting, and considering updates to category 15 (investments).
• Actions and Market Instruments Technical Working Group: discussing objectives and use cases as a first step to consider new approaches related to quantification and reporting on the impacts of actions and market instruments in corporate GHG reporting. 

Standards Development and Revisions Process Updates

• The Standard Development and Revisions Procedure document is now available. The document outlines the procedures for preparation, development and publication of standards, as well as general requirements for standards. The document is now posted in GHG Protocol’s Standards Development and Governance Repository.
• GHG Protocol is currently accepting rolling applications for Technical Working Groups until January 15, 2025. Please use this form to apply, after January 15 the form will be closed. 

Event Recording: Upgrading the Architecture of Corporate Climate Standards

At COP 29, Pankaj Bhatia, GHG Protocol Director (WRI) joined experts from ISO, SBTi and GRI for a panel discussion hosted in the World Wildlife Fund Pavilion. The panelists discussed the alignment between the actors in the GHG accounting, reporting and target setting ecosystem. The panelists also highlighted the forthcoming updates to standards and guidance across the ecosystem and how the actors are seeking harmonization to improve standard users’ implementation experience. Watch the recording here.

Event Recording: METI and WBCSD Seminar on Avoided Emissions  

Ovais Sarmad, GHG Protocol Steering Committee Vice-Chair and Dominic Waughray, GHG Protocol Steering Committee member and Executive Vice President of WBCSD recently spoke at the COP29 event "Avoided Emissions: Adoption & Standardization in Real Economy and Finance." This session demonstrated the progress on the development of standardized assessment frameworks and the link to corporate climate action and transition finance. Watch the recording here. 

Global ESG Workshop with Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute

Pankaj Bhatia, GHG Protocol Director (WRI), recently spoke at a Global ESG Workshop hosted by Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI) and organized by BSI. Pankaj spoke to corporate ESG practitioners and consultants on using GHG Protocol standards and guidance for corporate GHG emissions disclosure, focusing on disclosures under the EU Corporate Standard Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the International Sustainability Standards Board's IFRS S2 standard.

Now Available: The Brattle Group Report on Scope 2

The Brattle Group’s analysis of clean energy procurement and emissions accounting research provides valuable insights into a range of approaches, including those related to the U.S. Section 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit and broader questions around emissions matching strategies. Their work delves into key debates on methodologies such as additionality, system-wide impacts and locational matching—topics that stakeholders have identified as important to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s ongoing efforts to refine its scope 2 standard. By engaging with research that spans multiple dimensions of emissions accounting, the Protocol seeks to ensure its standards remain robust, relevant and aligned with evolving market and policy landscapes, supporting credible and actionable global GHG emissions reporting. The GHG Protocol is also appreciative of the authors of the major studies reviewed in the report for their engagement with the Brattle group. Read the report here.

Welcoming New Staff to the GHG Protocol Team

Please join us in welcoming our new addition to the GHG Protocol Secretariat:    

• Maia Kutner, Global Director (WBCSD) will co-lead the GHG Protocol secretariat alongside WRI’s Greenhouse Gas Protocol Global Director, Pankaj Bhatia. Maia has over 15 years of experience working on climate change issues with organizations across the private and public sectors. She has extensive experience leading global programs and teams, building partnerships and developing and implementing strategy.

Seeking Applicants for Internship Position

The GHG Protocol Secretariat is looking for an experienced individual to join our team as an intern focused on GHG Protocol’s actions and market instruments portfolio. Full position description and application information can be found here:

• Actions and Market Instruments Intern 

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