Looks like there may be competition for the Greenhouse Gas
Protocol developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development
(WBCSD) and the World Resources Institute (WRI). The International Organization
for Standardization (ISO), originator of the popular ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards
may be developing their own standard.
The standard would also instruct how companies would report
the estimated carbon emissions resulting from their products and services to
third parties.
Marsha Cheddi, secretary for ISO's committee for greenhouse
gas management and related activities, said , "The purpose of this
international standard is to provide requirements for the quantification and
communication of greenhouse gases [GHGs] associated with products," who carefully clarified that
"products" in ISO parlance also refers to services. "The
international standard is intended to promote the monitoring, reporting and
tracking of progress in the mitigation of GHG emissions."
When would the new carbon footprint measurement standard be
completed? Early 2011. ISO takes a long time to ensure standards are put
together correctly.
The organization has already published a three-part
"specification with guidance" report for greenhouse gas emission
measurements, verification and reduction methods under its 14000 series of
standards, but these are considered general guidelines for businesses to
follow.
It is far from certain whether an ISO carbon footprint
standard would be widely adopted. While several corporations are actively
seeking out ways to standardize calculation processes within and across
industries, the complexity of determining the carbon dioxide output of business
activities is hindering the develop of a single common methodology, leaving
many to develop their own internal methods.
And the existing Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the first parts of
which came out in 2001, has already achieved a mass following. Even ISO's own
14000 series of guidance on greenhouse gas issues is based on the WRI and WBCSD
protocol. ISO, WRI and WBCSD have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in order
to make a formal commitment to working towards consistency.
ISO will decide by early November whether it will develop a
common standard for carbon footprinting. | 
