What is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol?
The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol is the world’s most widely used framework for measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions. It provides standards, guidance, tools, and training for businesses and governments to understand, quantify, and reduce their climate impact.
The GHG Protocol was created through a partnership between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). It was first published in 2001 and has since become the global benchmark for carbon accounting.
Why It Matters
The GHG Protocol helps organizations:
Measure emissions consistently across operations and supply chains
Report transparently to regulators, investors, and stakeholders
Set reduction targets aligned with climate science
Comply with regulations like the EU’s CSRD and the U.S. SEC climate disclosure rules
Key Standards
The GHG Protocol includes several core standards:
Corporate Standard – for measuring emissions at the organizational level
Scope 3 Standard – for accounting emissions across the value chain
Product Life Cycle Standard – for assessing emissions of individual products
Project Protocol – for quantifying emission reductions from specific projects
The Origins of Scope 1, 2, and 3
The Protocol introduced the widely adopted classification of emissions into:
Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources
Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased energy
Scope 3: All other indirect emissions across the value chain
