What is the Carbon Accounting Alliance?
The Carbon Accounting Alliance is a unique platform established to promote alignment and collaboration within the carbon accounting industry. Embracing the ethos of “collaboration over competition,” the alliance recognizes the critical importance of industry players working together to collectively combat the climate crisis. Despite strides in standardizing approaches for measuring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, existing standards like the GHG Protocol, ISO, and PAS still allow room for interpretation in methodologies, rules, and emission factor database choices.
The alliance serves as an open and vulnerable forum where organizations can share challenges and learnings. This collective intelligence, in turn, propels the industry forward at an accelerated pace. Additionally, the alliance seeks to identify common barriers to carbon accounting and use its collective voice to advocate for policy changes that remove obstacles and maximize opportunities for the industry. The overarching vision is for the alliance to embody values of respect and openness, contributing to the acceleration of the transition to a fairer, kinder, and regenerative world.
What Does it Mean to be a Member?
Membership in the Carbon Accounting Alliance is open to organizations with tangible expertise in GHG accounting, offering software solutions or consulting services at scale to multiple entities. Prospective members should have a solid understanding of the GHG Protocol and ideally other relevant standards, actively engaging with businesses on GHG accounting regularly. Importantly, the alliance is inclusive, not bound by geography or organizational size, welcoming members from specialized departments within larger firms whose primary focus may not be climate-related. The common thread binding members is a passion for positive impact, knowledge, and shared values.
Main Priorities of the Alliance:
The Carbon Accounting Alliance has identified two key priorities as its initial focus, based on rankings voted on by founding members:
- Policy, Legislation, Standards & Funding Collective Lobbying: The alliance will seek alignment on policy ‘asks’ to collectively push and campaign for changes that support the industry’s goals.
- Definitions & Technical Alignment: Members will work towards collective alignment with existing international definitions and standards. Discussions will center on the appropriate use of emissions factor databases, ensuring a consistent and accurate approach across the industry.
Who is Part of the Alliance?
As of now, the alliance boasts 35+ members collectively representing at least 24,000+ company carbon footprints. This impressive group has measured 587+ million tonnes of CO2e and achieved 6+ million tonnes of direct emission reductions, excluding offsets. The diversity and expertise of the members position the alliance as a formidable force in the carbon accounting space.
Joining the Carbon Accounting Alliance marks a significant step forward for our company as we align with like-minded organizations to address the challenges of carbon accounting collectively. The alliance provides a unique opportunity to contribute to policy changes, align on technical standards, and share insights that will accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. We look forward to actively participating in this collaborative effort and driving positive change within the industry. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the climate crisis and create a more sustainable and regenerative world.
