Greenhouse Gas Protocol

What Greenhouse Gas Protocol does

Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is a global multi-stakeholder standards initiative that develops and disseminates accounting frameworks for measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions across corporate operations, value chains, and products. Founded in 1997 by World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), it is jointly managed by those two organizations with offices in Washington, D.C. and Geneva and a combined staff of 501-1,000. Its standards are used by 97% of S&P 500 disclosing companies in their CDP reporting (2023) and by 92% of Fortune 500 respondents (2016), and they form the methodological backbone for major climate disclosure frameworks, mandatory reporting regimes, and target-setting bodies such as SBTi.

The organization's portfolio comprises five core accounting standards — Corporate Standard, Scope 2 Guidance, Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard, Land Sector and Removals Standard, and Product Standard — alongside the Project Protocol, the in-development Actions and Market Instruments (AMI) Standard, and supplementary Scope 3 Calculation Guidance. Standards are produced through formal multi-stakeholder processes (e.g., 350+ experts on the Corporate Standard, 2,300 participants from 55 countries on the Scope 3 Standard, 300+ external reviewers on the Land Sector and Removals Standard) and distributed as freely downloadable documents via ghgprotocol.org, supported by the Scope 3 Evaluator, calculation tools, third-party life cycle databases, and an E-Learning Platform offering courses in English, Spanish, and French.

GHG Protocol is a non-profit initiative, not a commercial entity; its operating budget is funded through institutional partnerships and a Donor Council comprising Apple, Cargill, Constellation, Deloitte, EY, Generation Foundation, Google, KPMG, Meta, and Toyota. Direct revenue is limited to e-learning course fees (free to $600 per participant) and ancillary services. Major strategic initiatives in 2025-2026 include the ISO Joint Working Group on product-level accounting under the COP30 Action Agenda, the launch of the Land Sector and Removals Standard (effective January 2027), the AMI Standard white paper, and the appointment of Tim Mohin as CEO in April 2026.

Name

Greenhouse Gas Protocol

Legal name

Greenhouse Gas Protocol

Website

https://ghgprotocol.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol provides global standardized frameworks for measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions from corporate operations, value chains, and products. Jointly managed by WRI and WBCSD since 1998, it serves companies, governments, and organizations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Greenhouse gas accounting standards and climate disclosure frameworks

akta.pro primary industry

GHG Accounting & Net-Zero/Decarbonization Planning (Scopes 1–3) (EUAHAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

ESG/Sustainability Reporting & Disclosure Platforms (EUABAEAB), Climate Target-Setting, Transition Planning & Performance Management Platforms (EUABAEAF), Environmental, Climate & Sustainability Standards & Reporting Cooperation (BPADANAI), Audit-Ready Controls, Assurance & Compliance Workflow Tools (CSRD/SEC/ISSB) (EUABAEAG), Supply Chain (Scope 3) Emissions & Supplier Engagement Platforms (EUABAEAE)

Keywords

• Greenhouse gas accounting
• Carbon emissions standards
• Climate disclosure frameworks
• Scope 3 reporting
• Corporate sustainability measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. E-learning courses: Revenue generated from online training courses on GHG accounting standards. Course fees range from free to $600 per course, with the main revenue-generating courses being the Corporate Value Chain Standard E-Learning ($600), Product Life Cycle Standard E-Learning ($600), and various policy-related courses ($185).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Greenhouse Gas Protocol develops and disseminates internationally recognized greenhouse gas accounting standards and guidance used by companies, cities, and countries to measure, manage, and report emissions. Its core deliverables include the Corporate Standard, Scope 2 Guidance, Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard, Land Sector and Removals Standard, Product Standard, and Project Protocol, supported by free calculation tools, third-party life cycle databases, and a fee-based e-learning certification platform for standards-based training.

Product overview

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is a standards-setting organization that provides a suite of interconnected greenhouse gas accounting standards, guidance documents, and digital tools. The portfolio centers on five core accounting standards: the Corporate Standard (corporate-level GHG inventories), Scope 2 Guidance (energy purchases), Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard (value chain emissions across 15 categories), Land Sector and Removals Standard (land emissions and CO₂ removals), and Product Standard (product life cycle emissions). These are complemented by the Project Protocol (climate mitigation projects), and the Actions and Market Instruments Standard (currently under development). Supporting the standards are digital tools including the free Scope 3 Evaluator (web-based calculator), downloadable Calculation Tools and Guidance, Third Party Life Cycle Databases, and an E-Learning Platform offering courses ranging from free webinars to paid professional training (up to $600). The portfolio functions as a layered framework — from entity-level to product-level to project-level accounting — enabling companies to measure emissions at every stage of their operations and value chain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Standard The GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard provides requirements and guidance for companies and organizations preparing a corporate-level GHG emissions inventory, covering seven greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol. Built on the work of 350+ experts.
• Scope 2 Guidance Standardizes how corporations measure emissions from purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat, and cooling. Includes requirements for renewable energy accounting, eight Scope 2 Quality Criteria for contractual instruments, and was developed with 200+ representatives from 23+ countries.
• Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard Allows companies to assess their entire value chain emissions impact across 15 categories of upstream and downstream activities, identifying where to focus reduction activities. Developed through a multi-stakeholder process involving 2,300 participants from 55 countries.
• Scope 3 Calculation Guidance A companion guide to the Scope 3 Standard providing detailed technical guidance on all 15 categories of Scope 3 emissions calculation methods, including decision trees and examples. Developed with the Carbon Trust.
• Land Sector and Removals Standard The first GHG Protocol Standard providing greenhouse gas accounting requirements and guidance for companies to quantify, report, and track land emissions, CO2 removals from land and geologic carbon pools, biogenic products, and technological CO2 removals (e.g., direct air capture).
• Product Standard The Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard enables companies to measure the greenhouse gases associated with the full life cycle of products including raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, storage, use, and disposal.
• Project Protocol The GHG Protocol for Project Accounting is the most comprehensive, policy-neutral accounting tool for quantifying the greenhouse gas benefits of climate change mitigation projects.
• Actions and Market Instruments (AMI) Standard A standard under development that proposes a multi-statement reporting structure enabling companies to transparently report on the impacts of actions and market instruments (e.g., virtual power purchase agreements, green certificates, sustainable aviation fuel) within corporate GHG reports. Covers electricity sector, industry certificates, transport, and agriculture.
• GHG Protocol E-Learning Platform Online courses on GHG accounting standards including Corporate Standard Training Webinar (free), Scope 2 Recorded Webinar (free), Corporate Value Chain Standard E-Learning ($600), Product Life Cycle Standard E-Learning ($600), Policy and Action Standard E-Learning ($185), and Mitigation Goal Standard E-Learning ($185). Courses available in English, Spanish, and French with certificates of completion.
• Scope 3 Evaluator A free, web-based tool for calculating any organization's Scope 3 footprint, designed to help overcome barriers to Scope 3 reporting by providing a quick estimate of emissions throughout the value chain.
• Calculation Tools and Guidance A suite of cross-sector and sector-specific calculation tools providing step-by-step guidance and worksheets to help users calculate GHG emissions from specific sources or industries.
• Third Party Life Cycle Databases A list of third-party life cycle and corporate value chain databases that assist users in collecting data for product life cycle and corporate value chain GHG inventories.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of S&P 500 companies use GHG Protocol for CDP reporting
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2026Collaboration on Forest, Land, and Agriculture (FLAG) Guidance. Joint webinars conducted for stakeholders in Asia, Latin America, and Portuguese-speaking countries. SBTi's FLAG Guidance interacts with GHG Protocol's Land Sector and Removals Standard.
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2025ISO and GHG Protocol launched Joint Working Group to develop unified product-level GHG accounting standard. Received over 450 applications from more than 50 countries. Partnership aims to harmonize global emissions measurement standards under COP30 Action Agenda. Joint Working Group includes representatives from Unilever, Amazon, Volkswagen, BMW Group, SAP, and others.
• CDPmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2025CDP uses GHG Protocol as the basis for its climate disclosure framework. 97% of S&P 500 companies reporting to CDP use GHG Protocol. CDP and GHG Protocol co-host webinars on standards like the Land Sector and Removals Standard.
• Carbon TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership in developing Scope 3 Calculation Guidance. Carbon Trust's GHG measurement expertise and practical experience helped develop calculation guidance providing clear approach to scope 3 assessment.
• World Resources Institute (WRI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998WRI manages GHG Protocol together with WBCSD. WRI provides institutional hosting, research capabilities, and global reach. The partnership has sustained for over 20 years, producing the world's most widely used GHG accounting standards.
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998WBCSD manages GHG Protocol together with WRI. WBCSD provides business leadership, CEO network access, and industry engagement. Partnership enables multi-stakeholder standard development with business input.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project): CDP operates the world's largest environmental disclosure system and uses GHG Protocol as the foundational accounting standard for its climate questionnaire. 97% of S&P 500 disclosing companies report to CDP using GHG Protocol, making CDP the closest operational partner and adoption channel for GHG Protocol standards.
• Carbon Trust: Carbon Trust is a sustainability consultancy that co-developed GHG Protocol's Scope 3 Calculation Guidance. It provides certification, advisory, and footprinting services built directly on GHG Protocol methodologies, making it a close operational peer for implementation and assurance services.
• Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi): SBTi enables companies to set science-based emissions reduction targets and relies on GHG Protocol standards for the underlying accounting methodologies. The organizations collaborate on FLAG Guidance and other initiatives, making SBTi the most direct partner for target-setting that depends on GHG Protocol accounting.

Broad incumbents

• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): GRI is the most widely used sustainability reporting standard globally and GRI 305 on emissions cross-references GHG Protocol methodology. GRI competes for the 'default reporting framework' slot in many jurisdictions, making it the most direct competitor for ESG reporting standard adoption.
• Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD): TCFD created the foundational framework for climate-related corporate disclosure (now monitored by ISSB). TCFD recommendations explicitly rely on GHG Protocol for emissions metrics, making it a structurally adjacent peer that has shaped the regulatory demand for GHG Protocol-aligned reporting.
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO): ISO is the world's largest developer of voluntary international standards and is now GHG Protocol's formal partner via the 2026 Joint Working Group to harmonize product-level GHG accounting. ISO's existing ISO 14064 family overlaps with GHG Protocol's Corporate and Project standards, making it the most strategically significant incumbent in the standards landscape.
• IFRS Foundation / ISSB: The ISSB (within the IFRS Foundation) issues IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures and increasingly references GHG Protocol as the underlying emissions accounting methodology. As ISSB becomes the global baseline for sustainability disclosure, its alignment with GHG Protocol reinforces GHG Protocol's authority over how Scope 1-3 are measured.
• SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, now part of IFRS Foundation): SASB developed industry-specific sustainability accounting standards that are now housed within the IFRS Foundation. SASB standards reference GHG emissions metrics aligned with GHG Protocol, making it a structurally adjacent disclosure standard whose sector-specific approach partially overlaps with GHG Protocol's product and corporate frameworks.

Others

• World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI is one of the two parent organizations co-managing GHG Protocol (alongside WBCSD), providing institutional hosting, research capacity, and global reach. WRI is not a competitor but rather the operational backbone whose strategy, funding, and governance priorities directly shape GHG Protocol's trajectory.

Emerging players

• Watershed: Watershed is a leading commercial enterprise carbon accounting platform that implements GHG Protocol methodologies (Scope 1-3) and offers MRV, reduction planning, and audit-ready reporting. It represents the private-software layer built on top of GHG Protocol's free standards, and is the most credible private-sector alternative for the implementation tier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GHGProtocol
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ghgprotocol

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Greenhouse Gas Protocol