ISO and GHG Protocol Launch Partnership to Unify Global Emissions Accounting Standards

The International Organization for Standardization and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol have announced a strategic partnership to harmonise their existing GHG standards portfolios and co-develop new carbon accounting standards, addressing what they describe as fragmentation in global emissions measurement as a barrier to climate action. The partnership will merge existing ISO 1406X family and GHG Protocol Corporate, Scope 2, and Scope 3 standards into co-branded international standards.

Founded in 1997 by WRI and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, GHG Protocol's standards are integrated into major global sustainability frameworks including ISSB standards and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. ISO, a network of leading standardisers founded in 1947, will contribute its international standards development infrastructure and legitimacy. Under the partnership, the organisations will also develop a joint product carbon footprint standard to meet growing demand for granular value chain emissions data.

ISSB Chair Emmanuel Faber welcomed the partnership, stating that consistent and comparable carbon data is essential for investors to make informed capital allocation decisions globally. The fragmentation of GHG accounting standards has been a persistent challenge: different companies applying different methodological approaches have produced results that are difficult to compare, undermining the usefulness of emissions disclosures for investors, regulators, and supply chain partners. A harmonised global standard would reduce the compliance burden for companies reporting under multiple frameworks.

The partnership is particularly significant at a time when ISSB-aligned standards are being adopted across more than 35 jurisdictions. India is developing its own ISSB-aligned sustainability reporting framework, and alignment between the ISO and GHG Protocol standards could simplify the task of integrating emissions accounting methodologies into the evolving Indian disclosure landscape. The joint product carbon footprint standard will also be relevant for Indian exporters facing value chain emissions disclosure requirements from European customers under CSRD.

Key figure — GHG Protocol standards are referenced in ISSB frameworks adopted in more than 35 jurisdictions