ISO 14064 is an international standard that provides guidelines for measuring and managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This standard helps organizations and projects quantify, report, and verify their GHG emissions and removals to support efforts in reducing climate change impacts and promoting environmental sustainability.

The full designation of the standard is ISO 14064-1:2018, Greenhouse gases — Part 1: Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals. It was developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 207, subcommittee SC 7 (environmental management and related activities). This second edition replaces ISO 14064-1:2006 and will eventually be replaced by ISO/AWI 14064-1, which is under development. ISO 14064 contributes to sustainable development goals (SDGs) 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) and 13 (climate action).

Components of ISO 14064

The ISO 14064 series is composed of three main parts:

1. ISO 14064-1: focuses on the organization-level quantification and reporting of GHG emissions and removals. This includes principles for developing GHG inventories, defining reporting boundaries (now updated to include indirect emissions), and improving inventory quality.
2. ISO 14064-2: addresses project-level GHG emissions reductions and removals, offering methodologies for assessing and reporting project impacts.
3. ISO 14064-3: specifies requirements for validation and verification of GHG statements to ensure data accuracy and credibility.

Key Updates in the 2018 Edition

Significant updates introduced in the 2018 edition of ISO 14064-1 include:

• A new approach to reporting boundaries to incorporate indirect emissions across the value chain.
• Expanded requirements for quantifying specific items, such as biogenic carbon and GHG emissions from electricity usage.
• Renaming "operational boundaries" to "reporting boundaries" for clarity.

Implementation Steps

Implementing ISO 14064 involves:

• Developing a GHG inventory that tracks emissions sources and calculates total emissions.
• Setting up a monitoring system to collect and analyze data regularly.
• Establishing reduction goals and implementing strategies to achieve them.
• Regularly reporting and undergoing third-party verification of emissions data to maintain transparency and accountability.

Benefits of ISO 14064

Organizations adopting ISO 14064 benefit from:

• Improved environmental performance and credibility.
• Better compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Opportunities for cost savings through increased efficiency and reduced energy consumption.
• Contributions to global climate action and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Timeline and Life Cycle

ISO 14064-1:2018 was confirmed as current in 2024 following its scheduled five-year review. Amendments and additional content are under development to refine its application. Organizations using ISO 14064 must remain informed about updates to ensure compliance with evolving best practices.

For more details, visit the official International Organization for Standardization (ISO) website here.