„Greenhouse Gas Protocol: Asia-Pacific firms have work cut out on meeting climate-disclosure requirements, executive implementing standard says“

Sustainability reporting is becoming mandatory for all companies worldwide. Many companies in the Asia-Pacific region are still very much at the beginning. As Chairman of the Independent Standards Board (ISB) of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP), WPSF researcher Prof Dr Alexander Bassen explains how crucial it is that there is training, clear guidelines and collaboration with customers and suppliers to support companies from Europe and Asia in their sustainability efforts. As Bassen tells the South Chinese Morning Post, companies need guidance on how to develop proper carbon footprint reporting using the classification framework developed by the GHGP. This framework forms the basis for all existing standards for calculating emissions. The article shows that international interest in standardised guidelines for sustainability reporting is growing. There is also increasing demand for expertise on this topic in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol was launched in 1998 by the Washington-based World Resources Institute and the Geneva-based World Business Council for Sustainable Development to develop internationally recognised standards for corporate greenhouse gas accounting and reporting and to promote their widespread adoption. Alexander Bassen, the first chairman of the Independent Standards Board and the decision-making body of the GHGP, is responsible for approving and improving the standards and guidelines of the protocol, as reported by the WPSF.