
8 Best Practices for GHG Protocol Compliance
Sustainability Reporting
Jun 21, 2025
Learn best practices for GHG Protocol compliance to effectively track emissions and enhance sustainability reporting within your organization.

Want to keep up with the GHG Protocol and track your emissions better? Here's what you should know:
Know Your Business: Pick the parts of your firm to include in your emissions count (either equity share or control way).
Check Starting Emissions: Use 12 months of data to find your start point for counting emissions.
Keep Data in One Place: Use one system to gather and handle emissions data for better rightness and speed.
Make Calculations Easy: Use good tools to make emissions counts easy and cut down on mistakes.
Use the Right Ways for Each Scope: Use the right ways for Scope 1 (direct emissions), Scope 2 (indirect energy emissions), and Scope 3 (value chain emissions).
Keep Emissions Factors Fresh: Often renew the change numbers given by the UK government.
Mix with Money Systems: Join emissions data with money tools for open and easy count.
Get Ready for Checks: Keep good records and plans to make sure you follow outside check rules.
Why It’s Key:
Trust from Investors: 88% of investors look at ESG points in their choices.
Want from Buyers: 75% of Gen Z pick green brands.
Follow Rules: Line up with UK count rules like SECR and ISSB needs.
By using these steps, you’ll meet legal needs, cut emissions, make things work better, and win trust from people you deal with.
Quick Tip: Making your ESG count easy with tools like neoeco can help you follow rules and get sure data right.
Mastering the Greenhouse Gas Protocol: Your Comprehensive Guide
Basic Ideas of GHG Protocol

The GHG Protocol sets out clear steps to measure, handle, and share info on gas emissions. The 2004 guide for firms lists seven main gases from the Kyoto list: carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), sulphur gas (SF₆), PFCs, HFCs, and NF₃.
"The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol or GHGP) provides extensive and standardised frameworks for measuring, managing and disclosing GHG emissions for companies, organisations, cities and countries."
The GHG Protocol is great for UK firms as it fits well with what they are already doing. The Corporate Standard goes hand in hand with other GHG plans, making it easy for businesses to share info for the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and hit the mark for UK reports. A lot of big firms love it for this reason. In 2016, 92% of Fortune 500 firms that took part in the CDP used the GHG Protocol or a system that follows its rules.
Knowing the Three Scopes
The GHG Protocol puts out emissions into three clear types, each needing its own way to measure and gather data.
Scope 1: Direct Emissions
These emissions come right from things your group owns or manages. This includes boilers, company cars, making stuff, and leaks.
Scope 2: Indirect Energy Emissions
This type has emissions from making the power, steam, heat, or cool air that your group buys and uses.
Scope 3: Value Chain Emissions
This final scope takes in all other indirect emissions that happen from start to end in the value chain. This covers making items you buy, moving stuff, and even what happens when customers throw out your products.
Scope 3 often ends up being the biggest chunk, making up 75% to 90% of a company’s whole carbon output. Sometimes, it even reaches 95%. This means keeping an eye on these emissions is vital for any plan to tackle climate issues.
These clear divisions help make sure UK firms can report the right way.
How UK Groups Use It
The UK government makes it easier by giving yearly conversion rates just right for company reports covering all scopes. These help firms turn things like fuel use, power use, or money spent into standard CO₂ amounts. Firms can start simple and get better data over time. This helps, especially when dealing with UK rules like SECR and other green plans.
Checking Scope 1 and 2 emissions is quite straight as they use clear data, like power bills or fuel records. But, Scope 3 can be tougher. Firms start with guesses based on money spent, then move to detailed data from goods and service suppliers. This careful change helps firms keep up with rules while making their carbon info better and fuller as they go.
8 Top Tips for Following GHG Rules
By using GHG rules as a key, UK firms can set up systems that not only meet the rules but also get ready for checks. These eight steps help meet the law needs and fit with big plans to help the Earth.
1. Know Your Group and Work Lines
First, pick which parts of your firm are in your gas count. GHG rules give two main ways:
Equity share way: You count gas based on how much of the group you own. Say, if you own 60% of a side project, you count 60% of its gas.
Control way: You count gas from jobs you run, whether by money or day-to-day control. Most UK firms use the day-to-day control way for law fitting.
Only 9% of firms around the world can right tell their whole greenhouse gas count. Before you pull data, map your firm well, adding little firms and side projects, to miss no bit.
After lines are set, the next move is to build a strong start line for gas count.
2. Do a Start Gas Check
A start check acts as a mark to track how you do and set goals. Use 12 months of info - like power bills, fuel papers, and cool gas notes - to read changes over times. The GHG rules set five keys to follow: fit, full, same, open, and right. If you have no real info, first guesses are fine, but note your ideas clear for checks.
With a start line set, focus on making data work smooth by good systems.
3. Use One Data Handle System
Handling data from many systems can lead to slips and slow work. Work together across parts - money, jobs, and buildings - to put data work in one place. One place that pulls info from things like energy bills and buying files cuts hand slips and gives quick deep looks. These helps also let gas data go right into money notes, making it simple to track gas by work or part.
Good data rule makes a base for quick count.
4. Make Gas Counts Quick
Hand counts can slip and take a lot of time. Quick systems help make the work smooth, letting teams look at deep think and plans.
"Our partnership with Climatiq represents a significant stride in the evolution of the Salesforce Net Zero Cloud ecosystem. This collaboration empowers our customers to streamline their emissions calculations and reporting, helping them reach their sustainability goals faster."
– Nina Schoen, Director of Product, Net Zero Cloud @ Salesforce
New tools can set the right rates for your data. When the UK changes these rates each year, the tools help keep your sums right. Start with free ways to know your start point, and as you need more, go for better tools that fit well with your work tools.
Good sums need the right plan for each kind of air harm.
5. Use Right Ways for Scope 1, 2, and 3
Using the right methods for Scopes 1, 2, and 3 is key. For Scope 3, you start with how much you spend, but get better data from your sellers over time. Write down your choices so all is clear for checks.
Keeping up to date with the rates is key to right sums.
6. Keep Rates Up to Date
New rates are key for right words. The UK gives out new ones each year, showing changes in power types and how we check them. Set your check-ups with your yearly word cycle to keep your track right and fresh.
New rates help work with money tools too.
7. Link GHG Words with Money Tools
Tying air data to money tools helps with right sums and checks. When air and money data get the same care, people trust it more. This tie-up sorts out costs by team or task and backs buys like in-house air rates. With new rules, such as ISSB needs, this tie-up grows in worth.
Money tie-up makes your words stronger.
8. Keep Good Records and Ready for Checks
Third-party checks are now often expected for GHG words. To get set, make processes ready for audits from day one. Keep track of where data comes from and how you think and guess, to show all steps. Make a plan of data levels - showing real counts, seller rates, and common guesses - to help checks look at your words. Write how you check data and deal with odd parts to keep checks smooth.
How ESG Reporting Software Supports GHG Compliance
ESG reporting tools are reshaping how groups follow the GHG Protocol by making old manual jobs automatic. These tools gather, handle, study, and share ESG info by themselves. They make it simple to know how much gas comes from different spots. This means fewer mistakes and more matching info. This ease also links them better with money systems.
In 2022, the world market for ESG reporting tools was worth about £0.56 billion and might reach £1.2 billion. This jump shows manual ways of GHG reporting can slow things down and cause mistakes, which is bad for groups.
Tools like neoeco match ESG info to GHG report needs, making it easy to follow rules for Scope 1, 2, and 3 gases. This link is important as money and other types of reports are more mixed up now. ESG facts must be as right as money data.
When picking ESG tools, groups should look for auto data taking, good calc engines, ready-made report setups, top green study, full audit tracks, and the ability to grow. These things make sure the tool can manage hard report needs and keep right for audits.
Gains of Money-Linked Tools
Green management tools that mix with money systems give clear perks over just carbon count tools. ESG tools look at more issues - environmental, social, and rule-based - all in one place.
By tying green data to money steps, these tools break data walls. For example, when gas info moves smooth from money systems, energy bills, and buying records, teams dodge hand-made data errors and see new gas trends quick. This makes sure GHG data is as trusty as money info.
This way also betters following rules. Seeing green facts as money data gives top trust and makes checks by others simple.
Working together, Workiva and Persefoni show how good this mix can be. Their team-up makes carbon and ESG reporting automatic, cutting down manual work and boosting how well, clear, and right it is.
For UK groups getting ready for ISSB reporting needs, these money-linked tools build a strong base for meeting both today's GHG Protocol rules and new telling needs.
Hand vs Auto Ways Showdown
Looking at hand and auto ways to do ESG reports shows the work gains of going auto:
Aspect | Manual Way | Easy Way |
---|---|---|
Getting Data | Uses files, emails, and simple data pick up | Joins on the go with money counts, energy records, and supply spots |
Right Calculations | Easy to make some wrong sums and mess up versions | Keeps sums right with smart checks and no mistakes |
Keep Factors Updated | Must look up info by hand and update files each year | Grabs fresh updates on its own from official lists and good places |
Full Audit Paths | Spread out in many files and ways | All in one place, marked by date and easy to track |
Can Get Bigger | Gets hard to manage as groups get big | Handles more info with no need for more help |
Auto tools let groups think on big, green wins instead of just making long reports. These setups help check trends and see ways to cut down air harm.
Auto is key for handling Scope 3 emissions, as keeping track of supplier info is hard work. Auto tools can deal with many supplier deals, setting right air harm numbers based on stuff like money spent, places, and job types.
With UK groups under more need to watch air harm from all they do, auto ESG report tools are key. These aids keep firms in the game and up to new rules.
End talk: Keep to GHG Rules and Be a top Saver of the Earth
Using these eight ways makes sure your gas data lines up with money counts and puts your group as a top one in saving the Earth. All these steps work to make your gas data as good as your money counts.
Rules are changing, making these ways more key. With moves to must-tell climate acts, sticking to GHG rules is key for UK groups. The GHG rule may soon ask for must-tell Scope 3 gas info in its big rule, showing why groups need to get ready now. Groups that set up strong ways now will be ready for what comes next.
Tools like neoeco, which mix ESG data with money ways, are a good fix. They give out gas data ready for checks that hold as true as money reports. This mix lets groups keep up with GHG rule changes, like the 2025 updates on group lines and data bettering, with no work flow breaks.
Clear reports and steady updates build trust inside and with others. By backing climate goals with solid data, groups show true lead skills beyond just sticking to rules. This way helps the UK's aim for zero net and also makes groups work better and boosts their name.
For those who want more than just to follow rules, taking up money-linked saving Earth ways offers deep looks at how Earth care ties with business ends. Mixing GHG rule stick-to with smart Earth care setup sets the base for long win in a shifting rule scene.
Groups that will win in the future are those that make big, smart moves now. By using GHG rules to make better choices, lower risks, and grab chances in the less-carbon world, they’ll be front runners in smart Earth-friendly ways.
FAQs
How does putting GHG emissions data into money systems make reporting on sustainability better and more trusty?
Putting data on greenhouse gases (GHG) into money systems brings reporting on how green a company is to a higher point by matching how the earth is doing with how the money is doing. This way makes sure reports are right, clear, and full, lowering the chance of wrong info and making people trust the reports more.
Having all this data in one place helps companies make it simpler to work out data for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, make reporting automatic, and deal with checks better. It also helps follow important rules like the GHG Protocol, making it easier to make smart choices and talk well with people who care.
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