GHG Protocol Recruits Steering Committee and Independent Standards Board Members

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol launched a formal call for applications to its new Steering Committee and Independent Standards Board, the bodies that will oversee the update and maintenance of its flagship corporate GHG accounting standards. Applications for both bodies were due by 31 January 2024.

Under its new governance structure, the GHG Protocol Steering Committee will provide strategic direction and oversight, approve mission, vision and strategy, and appoint members to the Independent Standards Board. The Independent Standards Board, composed of leading global experts, will oversee the standards development process and ultimately approve final standards and guidance. Technical Working Groups will develop the technical content of standards updates, while Review Groups open to all stakeholders will provide feedback on drafts. The GHG Protocol Secretariat will continue to be hosted by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

The governance restructuring responds to stakeholder calls for greater formality, transparency and speed in GHG Protocol standards development, following a strategy review initiated in May 2022. The reform is particularly timely as the Corporate Standard, Scope 2 Guidance and Scope 3 Standard underpin mandatory climate disclosure regimes including the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, California's Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and the US SEC's proposed climate disclosure rule. Their credibility and governance are therefore increasingly matters of regulatory and legal significance.

Both the Steering Committee and Independent Standards Board were expected to be fully constituted by the end of Q2 2024, with candidates considered on a rolling basis. Technical Working Groups and Review Groups were to follow, with expressions of interest documentation published before end-2023. Applicants could apply to multiple governance bodies but would be selected for no more than one, ensuring independence and breadth of expertise across the new structure.

Key figure — January 31, 2024 — application deadline for GHG Protocol Steering Committee and Independent Standards Board