Standards and Measurement Protocols

The credibility of Eco-Rating is based on the use of internationally recognised measurement protocols to guarantee the objectivity and comparability of our ecological assessments.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization)

ISO standards are global references that provide specifications for products, services and systems, ensuring quality, safety and efficiency.

ISO 14040/14044 (Life Cycle Assessment – LCA)

These standards are fundamental for the assessment of Products. They define the methodology for quantifying environmental impacts over the entire product life cycle (from raw material extraction to end-of-life). The use of these standards ensures that the assessment is complete and objective.

GHG Protocol (Greenhouse Gas Protocol)

The GHG Protocol is the most widely used standard worldwide for measuring, managing and reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from private or public operations.

The Three Scopes (GHG Emissions)

It is essential for the assessment of Companies (Pillar P1: Climate) because it requires the categorisation of emissions into three "Scopes":

• Scope 1: Direct emissions (e.g. combustion in factories, company vehicles).
• Scope 2: Indirect emissions from energy (purchased electricity, heat, steam).
• Scope 3: Other indirect emissions (the most difficult to measure, from the value chain: purchases, upstream and downstream transport, use of sold products, etc.).

Ecorating's requirement for a complete Scope 3 measurement ensures an honest assessment of a company's true climate footprint.

Summary of the Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, adopted by 196 Parties at COP21 in 2015.

Main Objective

The central goal is to keep the increase in the global average temperature well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C.

Operation and Ecorating Criteria

• Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Each signatory country is required to define and communicate its own national emission reduction and adaptation targets. These NDCs must be revised and strengthened every five years (principle of progressive ambition).
• Adaptation: The treaty also aims to strengthen countries' capacity to cope with the impacts of climate change.
• Financing: It commits developed countries to financially support developing countries in their mitigation and adaptation efforts.

For the assessment of Countries by Ecorating (Pillar P1), compliance with the commitments made in the NDCs is an essential rating criterion.