Science-based Target Services for the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Intertek will help you reach your greenhouse gas reduction target by ensuring it is ambitious, aligning it with science-based pathways, and most importantly, giving you a clear pathway to reach it.

The Paris Agreement — an international treaty on climate change — made it absolutely clear that to combat climate change, the global temperature rise must be limited to well below 2°C, with efforts focused on limiting the rise to 1.5°C. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which emphasized the importance of achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 in order to have the best chance of avoiding catastrophic climate breakdown. Governments and businesses must work together to combat climate change. Companies are increasingly being asked to set GHG reduction targets that are consistent with science-based approaches. Companies need to set a GHG reduction target that not only fits their business plans, but also aligns with the reduction pathway required to meet the Paris Agreement and the IPCC’s goal.

Setting a science-based target involves more than just calculating a target number. It requires a balanced approach that takes into account numerous factors, such as selecting a representative base year, considering future business growth trajectories, determining a reasonable rate of reduction, comprehending potential GHG reduction options, and so on. Having a science-based target that is both ambitious and implementable helps to maintain a company’s integrity.

Intertek takes a systematic approach to setting a company’s science-based target by:

Establishing a representative base year through GHG accounting and reporting services of scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
Providing GHG verification services to make sure GHG emissions meet the requirements of ISO 14064-1 and/or GHG Protocol Standard prior to setting targets.
Modeling various GHG reduction targets using a science-based approach, so that businesses can see all of their options (absolute target, intensity-based target, renewable electricity target, supplier-specific targets, etc.).
Forecasting future activity levels by projecting the company’s growth in the short and long term, which informs the level of effort required to meet various GHG reduction targets.
Hosting a series of workshops with the company’s sustainability champions to develop an optimal reduction strategy that is both ambitious and achievable.

Setting a science-based target applies to brands, manufacturers, suppliers, and any other entities in the supply chain. This is especially true if value chain (scope 3) emissions are part of your science-based target. Intertek provides scope 3 materiality assessment services, scope 3 emission calculation services, supply chain data collection, and quality management services.

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