Standards and Measurement Protocols

The credibility of Eco-Rating is built upon the use of recognized international measurement protocols to ensure objectivity and comparability across our ecological assessments.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization)

ISO standards are global benchmarks 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 **Product** evaluation. They define the methodology for quantifying environmental impacts throughout the product's entire life cycle (from raw material extraction to end-of-life). Adhering to these standards ensures the assessment is comprehensive and objective.

GHG Protocol (Greenhouse Gas Protocol)

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

The Three Scopes (GHG Emissions)

This protocol is essential for Company evaluation (Pillar P1: Climate) as it categorizes emissions into three "Scopes":

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

Eco-Rating's requirement for full Scope 3 measurement ensures an honest assessment of a company's real 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 limit global warming to well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C.

Operation and Eco-Rating 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 updated and increased in ambition every five years.
• Adaptation: The treaty aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change.
• Finance: It commits developed countries to financially support developing countries in their mitigation and adaptation efforts.

For Eco-Rating's Country assessments (Pillar P1), compliance with commitments made in NDCs is a core rating criterion.