Find out more about the five key principles underpinning the GHG Protocol and Ecologi Zero
Summary
The methodology and calculations used to support Ecologi Zero ® and its carbon accounting features are based on The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol Corporate Standard and supplementary Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard. The GHG Protocol provides standards and guidance in preparing a GHG emissions inventory.
Ecologi Zero balances the accuracy and completeness of emissions estimates with ease of use. There are five key principles which underpin the GHG Protocol, and they are at the heart of everything that Ecologi Zero does;
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Relevance - Ecologi Zero has assumed an operational control boundary. This means that the tool accounts for all emissions from owned or leased assets for which the organisation controls operational activity.
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Completeness - Ecologi Zero uses a hybrid methodology combining activity and spend-based data to provide an inclusive overview of all emissions possible, including specific Scope 3 categories. Users are required to justify any emissions which they wish to exclude. The in-house specialists at Ecologi will then review these exclusions to ensure a complete emissions portfolio has been compiled.
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Consistency - Ecologi Zero will ensure the consistent application of carbon accounting approaches, inventory boundaries and datasets to provide a fair comparison of emissions over time against a base year. Changes in the inventory boundary, calculation methods, data or other factors affecting emission estimates will be transparently documented and justified.
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Transparency - This methodology document will be publicly available and communicates the processes, procedures, assumptions, and limitations underpinning Ecologi Zero as a carbon footprinting tool.
Specific emissions exclusions/inclusions will be clearly identified and justified, assumptions disclosed, and appropriate references provided for the methodologies applied and the data sources used.
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Accuracy - Rigorous research and analysis has been conducted to ensure that Ecologi Zero uses the most accurate and up-to-date emissions factor datasets to minimise uncertainty. A hybrid methodology is being used to improve the accuracy of emissions calculations for Scope 1 and 2 emissions categories for which activity data is available, overriding the use of spend-based data.