WBCSD’s Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Standard Adopted by The Sustainable Consortium

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development applauds The Sustainable Consortium’s recent decision to adopt the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Accounting and Reporting Standard (GHG Protocol Product Standard), a tool to address and measure the full impact of GHG emissions throughout the supply chain. This decision marks an important step in creating global consistency for product level sustainability measurement standards. The WBCSD and the World Resource Institute (WRI) jointly developed the GHG Protocol Product Standard as the next step in the GHG Protocol Initiative.

The GHG Protocol Initiative is the most comprehensive and widely-accepted set of measurement tools available for businesses and governments to gain in-depth knowledge of their emissions profiles. The standards empower businesses to make decisions that balance their obligation to protect the environment with their need for profitability.

The Sustainable Consortium is composed of leading global manufacturers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. The Consortium’s adoption of the GHG Protocol Product Standard marks a key step forward for the business community in creating global consistency and standards for product-level sustainability measurement.

“Establishing one, harmonized methodology for product carbon measurement and reporting is key if businesses are to more effectively manage emissions,” said Björn Stigson, President of WBCSD. “We are delighted that The Sustainability Consortium’s influential members voted in favor of the GHG Protocol Product Standard. This represents a key step forward to ensuring lower carbon emissions, which is part of the WBCSD’s vision of the world’s population living well and within the planet’s limited resources.”

The use of the GHG Protocol Product Standard provides companies with a methodology for life cycle assessment (LCA) that is more consistent and accurate. LCA is the main tool used by retailers, manufacturers, and raw material suppliers to measure, communicate, and reduce the environmental and social impacts associated with the production, use and end of life of consumer products. The Consortium will enhance the GHG Protocol Product Standard by providing methodologies that are specific to individual industry sectors, including food and agriculture, electronics, and home and personal care.

“This milestone accomplishment propels us forward in our delivery of science-based tools that will empower more sustainable production, buying and consumption patterns,” said Bonnie Nixon, Executive Director of The Sustainability Consortium.

The GHG Protocol Product Standard is part of the GHG Protocol’s suite of international tools designed for businesses to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. GHG Protocol is a partnership of WRI and WBCSD, which develops its standards and tools using a broad, inclusive multi-stakeholder process with participation from businesses, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and academic institutions from around the world. The Sustainability Consortium represents a large user group for LCA and the GHG Protocol Product Standard, and plans on continuing to explore partnership opportunities with both WRI and WBCSD going forward.