Project
Leveraging LCA to Strengthen GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting
The main objective of this work is to identify how life cycle assessment (LCA) approaches, practices and data can support and strengthen corporate GHG accounting according to the GHG Protocol.
Nowadays, the GHG Protocol is the primary reference framework for guiding organizations in conducting their greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. However, this framework presents certain limitations, and several operational challenges arise when implementing organizational GHG inventories in accordance with its standards and guidelines.
To address this issue, CIRAIG developed the work Leveraging LCA to Strengthen GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting, intended to practitioners in GHG accounting. This work is composed of four documents, each with a specific objective:
- Technical Report 1 – Comparison of the GHG Protocol and LCA frameworks, examining the conceptual and methodological differences and overlaps between the GHG Protocol and LCA frameworks (ISO 14040/44 and 14072).
- Technical Report 2 – Life Cycle Data and its Use for Corporate GHG Accounting, describing the different types of data, and especially emission factors, typically used in corporate GHG accounting.
- Technical Report 3 – Guidelines for Improved Corporate GHG Accounting, providing guidance for improving the transparency, the robustness, and the consistency of organizational GHG inventories, based on life cycle thinking and practices.
- Summary Report, summarizing the main aspects of the three technical reports.
