Standards (continued)

Company Level Audits

The Carbon Reduction Institute’s company level greenhouse gas audits follow the structure provided by the International Standard 14064.1. This standard prescribes the inclusions and flow of company level greenhouse gas audits.

The standard does NOT however, set limits or prescribe inclusions for carbon neutrality. Hence, all companies that offer carbon neutrality must create their own rationale for the greenhouse gas emission impacts that are included within the term “Carbon Neutral.”

CRI has developed its own interpretation of this term, taking a no compromise approach. Clients that wish to claim that they are carbon neutral with our blessing must account for the greenhouse gas impacts produced by, and embodied within all products and services consumed.

This standard provides clarity in numerous ways. From an auditing perspective, we are able to track ‘consumption’ through tax returns and company accounts. From a client perspective, the data collection and management process is simplified. Disclosure and defending environmental claims is also simplified via this no-compromise approach.

Similarly, re-audits and emissions monitoring is simplified through the simplicity of the data request.

Product Level Audits

The Carbon Reduction Institute’s Product or System Level Life Cycle Analysis adheres to the ISO 14044 standard. This standard provides guidelines for life cycle assessment (LCA) including: the goal of the LCA, the life cycle phases that need to be included, the interpretation of LCA and the requirements for reporting and review of an LCA.

At a minimum, all product level LCAs conducted by CRI are done so using a cradle to retail/consumer methodology. This means that all impacts incurred from the extraction, processing, freight of raw materials; the confection of materials into the final product, and the freight of the final product to the consumer are all included in the LCA’s. Where additional steps are included, this will be disclosed by the client.