Metrics
Cardon

Carbon Footprinting by CICS, a consulting firm

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Carbon Footprinting

CICS Carbon Footprint Verified - UKAS MarkFrom our position as the UK's leading GHG verifier, at CICS we are now using the same expert verifiers and rigorous auditing principles used in the regulated market (EU ETS) to measure and verify carbon footprints and GHG inventories for those companies who wish to voluntarily declare their emissions. We also verify ‘carbon calculators' - energy performance calculators that are used by business clubs/industry organisations - to ensure that these are capturing the right sort of data and that this data is accurate.

We are accredited by UKAS to perform independent verification of voluntary carbon footprints assessed against the international standard ISO 14064-1. Have your verification done by us, to this standard, and you will be eligible to use this mark.

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by your business and can be made up of some or all of the following:

• Direct activities (fuels burnt, transport, process gas).
• Indirect activities (electricity).
• Supply chain (distribution, raw material manufacture, consumer use, disposal).

• It can form part of an overall CR (Corporate Responsibility) or Sustainability/Environmental Strategy.
• It provides an excellent way of managing carbon emissions and energy use, helping you to reduce costs and limit your environmental impact.
• It signifies to shareholders, clients, NGOs, the general public and the media that your business is committed to being a responsible company in a sustainable world.
• It helps you to prepare and be ready, should mandatory reporting come into force for your area of business.
• A verified carbon footprint provides the backbone for carbon offset schemes, which in turn provide a route to 'carbon neutral' status.
• As people look to be part of socially responsible organisations, it provides an excellent way of engaging, retaining and attracting staff.

Independent carbon footprint verification gives you the assurance that your carbon footprint data are accurate and consistent.

Furthermore, being able to demonstrate that your carbon footprint has been independently verified satisfies your stakeholders' demands for accuracy, validity, materiality and transparency.

Independent carbon footprint assurance is a key discriminator of real commitment and action, giving both your business and your carbon footprint credibility, thereby enhancing your market position.

What standards and protocols are used for carbon footprinting? CICS works to the international transparent and uniform carbon footprinting standard ISO 14064 (Part 1). CICS is UKAS-accredited to ISO 14065:2007 to provide Greenhouse Gas (GHG) verification including for voluntary schemes that use an inventory addressing all of the requirements of ISO14064-1.

Product Carbon Footprint Verification

New standards are also emerging, such as PAS 2050, for the assessment of a product or service's full supply chain and lifecycle carbon footprint. CICS is the one of only four accredited verifiers for PAS 2050 in the UK.

We also now offer product carbon footprint verification against the new WRI/WBCSD Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard (known as the 'Product Standard').

CICS services include:

• Complete management of the carbon footprinting exercise, from definition of credible scope and boundaries to compilation of calculation spreadsheets and verification of emissions back to source data.
• Third party verification of a carbon footprint assessment made by an organisation.
• Advice on emission factors and uncertainty levels in reported data.
• Guidance on annual reporting to comply with ISO 14064 Part 1 and the WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol.