GHG Protocol Policy on Sector Documents and Tools

8/12/2019 GHG Protocol Policy on Sector Documents and Tools

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Approaches and branding guidelines todevelop GHG Protocol-based sector

guidance, product rules, and calculation

tools

Table of ContentsGoal of this policy document ............................................................................................................. 1Use of the Built on GHG Protocol mark ............................................................................................ 3Review by the GHG Protocol ............................................................................................................. 4Using the mark or review claim ......................................................................................................... 5Joint development ............................................................................................................................ 5Legal Action .................................................................................................................................... 5Procedures for Notification of Logo Abuse .......................................................................................... 5General Inquiries ............................................................................................................................. 5

Goal of this policy document

The GHG Protocol creates standards andtools that are applicable to anyorganization, company, and sector1.

Additional guidance or calculation toolsthat build upon the more generalstandards are developed by the GHGProtocol in response to user needs.However, other groups and organizationsare also developing their own guidanceand tools to support GHG ProtocolStandards.

Until now, the GHG Protocol has not hada formalized way to recognize sectorguidance, product rules, or tools

developed by others that claimconformance with GHG ProtocolStandards. Without a review orconfirmation from the GHG Protocol,users and other stakeholders do not havethe confidence that these documents andtools are in fact in conformance with agiven standard unless they perform a

Sector guidanceprovides more tailoredinformation to help companies complete an

inventory in conformance with the standard.Sector guidance can be created for any publishedGHG Protocol standard and can include informationon methodological choices, calculations, and datasources or default data specific to the sector.

Calculation toolshelp companies complete aGHG inventory by providing formulaes forinventory calculations that often include defaultdata and emission factors. Calculation tools can bedeveloped for one activity within a standard (e.g.,one scope 3 category like business travel oremployee commuting), one sector (e.g. cement), ora full GHG Protocol Standard. Calculation tools canbe developed in conjunction with sector guidance.

Product rulesare a specific type of guidancedocument developed for use with the GHG ProtocolProduct Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting

Standard. A product rule is a document created bya group of stakeholders with an interest in aparticular product (e.g., soda) or product category(e.g., drinks) with the goal of building consensuson the additional specifications needed to achieveproduct comparison. Product rules are also knownas product category rules (PCR) or supplementary

requirements.


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review themselves or take the word of a third-party.

This document outlines 3 approaches for sectorguidance, product rule, and tools to berecognized by the GHG Protocol:

- Use of the Built on GHG Protocol mark- Review by the GHG Protocol- Joint developmentThese approaches vary based on specific

requirements and the level of GHG Protocolinvolvement. Table 1 summarizes the differencebetween the 3 approaches, and the followingsections outline each approach in more detail.

It is important to note that over time additionalguidance may be given for other uses. For

example, the Built on GHG Protocol mark maybe used for training curriculums or otherprograms. Additionally, we may find that moredetails are needed on how tools are reviewed, therequirements for GHG conformance, and whethertools that require payment (e.g., not freely

available) require a separate policy.

Table 1: Overview of 3 approaches to recognize sector guidance, product rules, and calculations tools

Name Recognition What it means

Review bythe GHG

Protocol

Review Claim:

This [sector guidance, productrule, calculation tool] has beenreviewed by the GHG Protocoland is consistent with the[specific title] Standard

GHG Protocol performed a review, however thedocumentor tool is not going to be publically and

freely available or public stakeholder feedback wasnot obtained during development. A tool ordocument reviewed by the GHG Protocol does nothave access to the GHG Protocol Logo or Built onGHG Protocol mark.

Built onGHGProtocol

Built on GHG Protocol Mark: Tools or documents that have been reviewed bythe GHG Protocol, are in conformance withmethodology and requirements set forth in thestandard, are publically and freely available, andincluded public stakeholder feedback duringdevelopment. A tool or document given the Builton GHG Protocol Mark does not have access to

the GHG Protocol Logo.

Jointdevelopmentby the GHGProtocol

GHG Protocol Logo: GHG Protocol was directly involved in thedevelopment process of this document or tool.

GHG Protocol Mission and Vision

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, led bythe World Resources Institute (WRI) and theWorld Business Council for SustainableDevelopment (WBSCD), provides the

foundation for comprehensive measurementand management strategies to reduceemissions and drive more efficient, resilient,and profitable businesses andorganizations. Our vision is to empower theworld to avoid and respond to climate changethrough the wide use of internationallyaccepted greenhouse gas standards andpractices. Reducing GHG emission is crucial tolimiting global mean temperature increases

and avoiding unpredictable and dangerousdamage to people and ecosystems due toclimate change. All standards and toolsdeveloped by the GHG Protocol are done sothrough an inclusive multi-stakeholderprocess and are made freely available at

[www.ghgprotocol.org].


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Use of the Built on GHG Protocol markThe built on GHG Protocol mark is a way for the GHG Protocol to recognize those sectorguidance documents, product rules, and calculation tools (further referred to as products in

this document) that have been developed in conformance with a GHG Protocol Standard.Those that acquire the mark will benefit from GHG Protocols reputation for excellence.Stakeholders that see the mark will feel confident that a document or tool they are using is inconformance with the GHG Protocol Standards.

Obtaining the mark

The mark is only available for products that are publically available at no cost to users. Ifexternal stakeholder feedback was not sought during the development of the product, the GHGProtocol review will include a public review process. This is keeping with a principle of the GHGProtocol to ensure open and inclusive stakeholder consultations and buy-in.

Applicants for the mark will be asked to reimburse GHG Protocol for the cost of the review, the

terms of which will be specified and agreed to after an initial determination of review needs.There is no royalty fees associated with using the mark for products with no cost to users.

Applicants can apply for the mark at the beginning, middle, or end of their developmentprocess. Applying for the mark at the beginning is recommended as this will allow for GHGProtocol participation during the development and will likely result in a shorter review periodand less final changes (see review process below). Applying for the mark at the end will likelyresult in a longer review and is more likely to require final changes to achieve consistency withthe respective standard.

Product rules can be developed individually or following the guidance of a product ruleprogram. A product rule program may apply for the mark as long as all product rules created

under the program are publically available at no cost to the user. In this case, the GHGProtocol will review the programs specifications for creating product rules to ensure consistencywith the Product Standard.

If you are interested in applying for the mark, please complete the application form for the builton GHG Protocol Mark and submit by email to Stacy Kotorac ([email protected]).

Review process

The following is an example of an illustrative review process for obtaining the mark, assuming

the document or tool has already been developed.

Week 1: Applicant emails their application to obtain the mark Week 2-3: GHG Protocol does initial check to ensure the mark is applicable to the given

product, as well as an evaluation to determine the cost of review.

Week 3: Conference call with applicant and GHG Protocol to discuss and agree to reviewprocess and associated fees.

Week 4-10: GHG Protocol completes review. The length of time necessary to completethe review will depend on its complexity. Public comment periods last 4 weeks with 2


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weeks to compile the feedback. For some tools, external technical experts may be

consulted, which can also increase the review time and cost.

Week 10: GHG Protocol presents the review results to the applicant and discusses anychanges that need to occur to obtain the mark. Applicant makes the changes necessary

and resubmits to GHG Protocol for final approval.

Review by the GHG ProtocolFor sector guidance, product rules, and calculation tools that do not qualify for the mark, theGHG Protocol can review the document or tool to ensure consistency with the GHG Protocolstandard. This option is available when the product is not going to be publically and freelyavailable1, or when public stakeholder feedback cannot be obtained. It is still necessary toensure a peer or external stakeholder group review. Products that are reviewed by the GHGProtocol cannot use the mark or the GHG Protocol logo; however, they can make the followingreview claim after meeting the process requirements set forth below:This [sector guidance,product rule, calculation tool] has been reviewed by the GHG Protocol and isconsistent with the [specific title] Standard.

Applicants for the review claim will be asked to reimburse GHG Protocol for the cost of review,the terms of which will be specified and agreed to after an initial determination of review needs.The use of the claim itself is free of charge.

If you are interested in a review by the GHG Protocol, please complete the application form for

GHG Protocol review and submit by email to Stacy Kotorac ([email protected]).

Review process

The following is an example of a typical review process for obtaining the review.

Week 1: Applicant emails their intention to obtain the review. Week 2-3: GHG Protocol does an initial evaluation to determine the cost of review. Week 3: Conference call with applicant and GHG Protocol to discuss and agree to review

process and associated fees.

Week 4-8: GHG Protocol completes review. The length of time necessary to completethe review will depend on its complexity. For some tools, external technical experts may

be consulted, which can also increase the review time.

Week 8: GHG Protocol presents the review results to the applicant and discusses anychanges that need to occur to obtain the review and make the review claim. Applicant

makes the changes necessary and resubmits to GHG Protocol for final approval.

1GHG Protocol reserves the right to not accept the application to review a document or tool if performingthe review could be seen as an endorsement of other aspects of a company, organization, or program.

For example, this could occur if a document or tool is only available through the purchase of consulting orother services provided by an organization.


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Using the mark or review claimOnce the mark or review claim has been obtained, it cannot be used for any other purpose thanthe reviewed sector guidance, product rule, or calculation tool. For product rules, if the reviewwas completed on the product rule development guidance document, only that document can

bare the mark or claim. Use of the mark or claim for any unapproved purpose or in a way that

is misleading to users can result in immediate removal of the mark or claim.

A list of documents and tools that bare the mark or review claim will be provided on the GHGProtocol website. This list will be reviewed on a regular basis, and any documents or tools thathave become outdated or revised (without additional review or knowledge of the GHG Protocol)will be removed. GHG Protocol reserves the right to request that a document or tool beupdated in the event that a GHG Protocol Standard has been revised or additional accounting

rules have been issued. If this request is ignored or denied, GHG Protocol has the right toremove the document or tool from this list and revoke the rights given to a user to use themark.

Joint development

In some cases, the GHG Protocol is approached by an industry or group of stakeholders to workdirectly with them to develop sector guidance or calculation tools. This is considered jointdevelopment because the GHG Protocol is involved from the beginning. Often documents andtools that are created through a joint development process end with a co-branded document ortool that is freely made available to the public directly on the GHG Protocol and partnerswebsites. Please email Stacy Kotorac ([email protected]) if you are interested in jointlydeveloping sector guidance or calculation tools and we will respond directly to you for moreinformation2. Because our staff resources are limited, we will prioritize requests for jointdevelopment based on several criteria, including the GHG impact of the sector and fundingprospects.

Legal ActionGHG Protocol reserves the right to take legal action against any party that uses the mark,review claim, or the GHG Protocol logo without permission.

Procedures for Notification of Logo AbuseGHG Protocol actively monitors the use of its logo in the marketplace. Reports of mark or claimabuse may be submitted online by emailing [email protected] in writing to Stacy Kotorac,World Resources Institute, 10 G St NE, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20002, USA.

General InquiriesIf you have any general questions pertaining to this document or the use of the mark, claim, orlogo please email [email protected].

2Joint development of product rules is not likely due to the limited scope of a single product or productcategory.

GHG Protocol Policy on Sector Documents and Tools

Documents

Transcript of GHG Protocol Policy on Sector Documents and Tools