The GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard sets out how companies and other organizations should measure and report on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Standard was last updated in 2015 with the publication of specific guidance on scope 2 emissions – those from purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat, and cooling. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a crucial tool for corporates working to cut their emissions and for assessing the impact of their actions. It is the world’s leading authority and international standard-setter on corporate GHG accounting.

Since 2015, many corporates are doing more than ever to minimise their impact on the environment. To ensure that the basis of this work remains relevant, the GHG Protocol team is starting a process to determine the need and scope for additional guidance, building on the existing set of corporate GHG accounting and reporting standards for scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3 emissions. Additional guidance will be designed to support and enhance the implementation of the GHG Protocol standards. Furthermore, a key focus will be to ensure harmonization and alignment with accounting rules under development through major disclosure initiatives including the US Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC), European Commission (e.g., EFRAG), and others.

As the industry association representing the users of energy attribute certificates, which prove from where a corporate bought its energy, RECS is well placed to contribute to the development of any additional guidance for scope 2 emissions reporting that may be needed. Therefore, RECS members are requested to join a new RECS working group on this topic, which will discuss and shape RECS’ input to the review.

RECS members can sign up for the new RECS GHG Protocol working group here.

RECS’ draft initial position on the review of the GHG Protocol Scope 2 guidance can be downloaded here – RECS invites comments from all members – to be sent to a.white@recs.org .