Using information from the provided sources, it is possible to compare and analyze approaches to quantifying and reporting greenhouse gases (GHG) in different documents, especially SGS reports and ISO standards. These documents address various aspects of GHG quantification, and it is important to take into account differences in types of organizations and emission categories.

SGS News

• Structure and content: Reports from SGS (e.g. TW23/00193GG, TW23/00116GG, TW23/00178GG, TW23/00177GG) represent verification of greenhouse gas emissions for specific organizations. These reports provide an overview of direct and indirect GHG emissions divided into different categories. The reports are structured to also include information on the verification methodology and level of assurance.
• Emissions categorization: Direct emissions are defined as emissions that are directly generated by sources owned or controlled by the organization. Indirect emissions are derived from purchased energy, transportation, products used by the organization, and other sources.
• Quantification: SGS reports provide quantified emissions in tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e). Specific emission factors are used, such as the emission factor for electricity (0.509 kgCO2e/kWh).
• Organizations: The reports focus on different organizations such as KGI Bank, KGI Securities and KGI Futures, with different types of activities (banking, securities, futures trading). These reports show that the quantification of emissions is adapted to the specifics of each organization.
• Specific examples: For example, KGI Bank has emissions from direct sources, purchased energy, transportation, and products it uses. KGI Securities has similar emission categories, but with different specifics, such as emissions from transportation at shareholder meetings, etc. KGI Futures also has similar categories, but with modified descriptions and activities.
• Assurance level: SGS reports provide reasonable level of assurance for categories 1 and 2 and limited level of assurance for categories 3 to 6.

ISO Standards

• ISO 14064-1:2018: This standard is aimed at quantification and reporting of GHG emissions at the organizational level. Defines the principles and requirements for establishing organizational and reporting boundaries. Covers direct and indirect emissions and also defines how significant indirect emissions are to be determined.
  • Organization: The standard is applicable to various types of organizations.
  • Quantification: The standard defines requirements for the selection of appropriate quantification methodologies, data selection and collection, model development, and calculation of emissions and removals. It includes requirements for the conversion of emissions into tonnes of CO2e using global warming potentials (GWPs).
  • Reporting: The standard includes requirements for the content of a GHG report.
  • Quality: It emphasizes data quality, document retention, GHG information management, and uncertainty assessment.
  • Emission categories: The standard divides emissions into categories such as direct emissions, indirect emissions from purchased energy, transport, products used by the organization, products from the organization and other sources. Annex B provides examples of subcategories.
• ISO 14064-2:2021: This standard focuses on quantification, monitoring and reporting of GHG emissions at the project levelIt defines requirements for establishing baseline emissions, identifying sources, sinks and reservoirs of emissions (SSRs), and measuring emission reductions.
  • Project: The standard applies to projects that are specifically designed to reduce GHG emissions or increase their removals.
  • Quantification: The standard requires separate quantification of project emissions and baseline emissions, then calculates emission reductions by comparing these two values.
  • Methodology: The standard is GHG neutral, but requires that the project lead to emission reductions beyond what would have occurred without the project.
  • Terminology: The standard uses the term sources, sinks and reservoirs (SSR) instead of the term "project boundaries".
• ISO 14064-3:2019: This standard focuses on validation and verification of GHG claimsIt sets out requirements for planning validation/verification, assessment and evaluation of GHG claims.
  • Validation and Verification: The standard defines the difference between validation (future activities) and verification (historical data).
  • Process: It describes the validation/verification process, which includes planning, assessment and issuing statements.
  • Assurance level: It provides different levels of assurance and focuses on completeness, accuracy, consistency, transparency and the absence of material misstatements.
• Application: It is intended for internal and external verifiers and validators.
• Other standards: The resources provided also mention other standards in the ISO 14060 family, such as ISO 14065, 14066, 14067 and ISO/TR 14069, which address specific aspects of GHG management and quantification.

Differences and Analysis

• Focus: SGS reports are specific to a given organization and time period, while ISO standards are general and provide a framework for quantifying and verifying GHG emissions.
• Level of Detail: ISO 14064-1 provides a detailed framework for an organization, while ISO 14064-2 focuses on emission reduction projects. ISO 14064-3 describes validation and verification processes. SGS reports are specific applications of these standards to verify an organization’s data.
• Approaches: ISO standards define basic principles, procedures and requirements that are applied in specific cases, such as SGS reports.
• Emission categories: Both groups of documents use similar emission categories, but ISO standards provide more detailed definitions and methodological guidance.
• Organizations: SGS reports show that approaches to quantifying and reporting GHG emissions are tailored to specific types of organizations (banks, securities dealers, etc.). ISO standards provide a framework that is universally applicable, but organizations must adapt it to their needs.
• Conclusion: The SGS documents are a concrete outcome of the application of ISO standards, which provide a methodological framework for the quantification, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions. The differences in approaches reflect different objectives (specific reporting versus general standards) and scopes (specific organizations versus general principles).

In summary, SGS reports represent a practical application of the principles and methodologies defined in the ISO 14064 standards. ISO standards set a detailed framework for managing GHG emissions, while SGS reports provide transparent verification of these emissions for specific organizations. Spring