The CARBON CONTROL™ emissions performance software is used by organizations to measure their annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to determine if their organization has reduced its total GHG emissions by at least 3% per year in compliance with the CARBON CONTROL™ standard. The software methodologies are based on the UK Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) GHG reporting guidelines. The guidance is based on an internationally-recognised standard from the World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development: the GHG Protocol Organisation GHG Accounting and Reporting Standard and so corresponds with many widely used national and international voluntary schemes such as the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 14064-1, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the ITU-T L.1420 (ICT specific extension of the GHG Protocol Organisation Standard), and the Climate Disclosure Standards Board’s Climate Change Reporting Framework version 1.1. Some organisations already report emissions data for regulatory schemes such as the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), Climate Change Agreements or in the UK CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. These schemes only cover some of an organisation’s GHG emissions, whereas this software covers an organisation’s total GHG emissions (also known as its organisation carbon footprint).
The software adheres strictly to the principles and practices promoted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines. Based on recent Conference of the Parties (COP) revisions, the software uses up-to-date IPCC global warming potential (GWP) values to calculate carbon dioxide equivalent anthropogenic emissions by sources. All calculations in the software use the current emission factors and calculating methodologies published by Defra. The software emissions factors and methodologies are updated in line with Defra updates.
The software uses the 2013 Defra emissions factors which were calculated by Ricardo-AEA under contract to the UK Government. Details of the methodologies used to calculate the factors can be found in the Defra emission factors methodology paper. These 2013 factors are integrated into the software. The software’s emissions factors are suitable for GHG inventory and projections in countries outside the UK. However, overseas electricity factors are available and will be a required to be inputted into the software.
