Greenhouse Gas Emissions Verification

BSI provides a comprehensive accredited verification service covering:

• EU ETS Baseline verification reports
• EU ETS Annual emissions reports
• EU ETS New Entrant, Closure and Rationalisation
• Climate Change Agreement (CCA) Milestone Verification under the UK ETS

EU ETS

With the introduction of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) in 2005, verification of greenhouse gas emissions has become mandatory for those who fall within the scheme listed in Annex I of the directive  - http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/emission/implementation_en.htm

Phase I of the scheme (2005-2008) included the large energy providers and high energy consumers.  Phase II (2008 - 2012) has been expanded to include other industries and high emitters, and most recently aviation.

On 13 January 2009, Directive 2008/101/EC was published, requiring that aviation be included in the EU ETS and that aviation operators, from 2010 onwards, monitor their CO2 emissions and submit a verified annual emissions report by 31st March of the following year. Aviation operators wishing to receive a free allocation of allowances must also submit a 2010 tonne-km report to the regulator by 31st March 2011.

During 2008 BSI verified over 35 million tonnes CO2 allowances working with clients from all sectors to ensure delivery of their verified emissions reports within the regulatory timeframe.

Climate Change Agreements (CCA)

If you wish to trade your surplus CCA credits then you will need a verified opinion statement.  Whether you are looking for verification as an individual company, as a group of companies or as a trade association, BSI can provide a verification service to meet your needs.

BSI is also able to offer independent verification for organisations who voluntarily report on their Carbon Footprint.

For more information on the verification service click here or download our datasheet titled, 'Ensuring the accuracy of your emissions information'.

• BSI is a market leader in the provision of verification services with over seven years experience gained since the inception of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. 
• BSI currently holds full UKAS accreditation for EU ETS Phase II Annual verification, New Entrant, Rationalisation and Closures across all scopes, and UK ETS Climate Change Agreement verification.
• BSI has a dedicated team of full time BSI verifiers to carry out your verification.
• BSI offers a complete verification solution to trade associations and their members providing integrated EU ETS and CCA verifications. 
• BSI has a wealth of experience and a proven track record in the delivery of complex, multisite, process and combustion emission verifications across a wide range of sectors.
• BSI is closely involved with the development of the EU ETS scheme through membership of the Emissions Trading Group.
• BSI verification processes comply with EA 603 and UKAS requirements.
• By choosing BSI, certified organisations will be able to use and benefit from association with the BSI brand and logo, which holds UK Superbrand status.

The following are just some of the clients BSI has provided verification services for:

• Airbus
• BAe – all sites
• British Beer and Pub Association
• British Sugar
• Castle Cement
• Cemex
• Corus Steel
• Doncaster and Bassetlaws NHS Trust
• Ineos Chlor
• Seabank Power
• The Confederation of Paper Industries
• The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
• The Natural History Museum
• Total E & P
• Uskmouth Power

For more Information on the verification service, please download our datasheet titled, 'Ensuring the accuracy of your emissions information'.

There are a range of benefits associated with undertaking third-party verification of GHG emissions:

• Compliance
  Verification enables you to meet your regulatory obligations under schemes such as the EU ETS.
• Financial
  Independent verification allows the organisation to participate in emissions trading schemes such as the EU ETS.  Submission of a verified baseline 2010 tonne-km report will also provide aviation operators with access to a free allocation of allowances under the scheme.  Verification also means avoidance of penalties as a result of failure to comply.
• Credibility
  Third party verification provides additional credibility to reporting and publishing of environmental information. This has implications for interested parties such as employees, customers, brokers, shareholders and insurance companies.
• Integrity
  Independent verification provides assurance to your stakeholders that the verified data is faithfully represented, contains no material misstatements, is consistent and has been collected and analysed in a transparent and reliable manner.
• Transparency
  Reporting externally verified GHG emissions data demonstrates your commitment to environmental transparency and accountability. A GHG emission report may form part of a public or corporate environmental or sustainability report and can be a step towards ‘Green Governance’.
• Consistency
  Third-party emissions verification will ensure that your data is consistent according to set protocols. Using a unique process developed by our experienced GHG verification team, we will ensure that your data is accurate for the purpose for which it is designated.
• Reliability
  We have ensured that any third-party verification will produce reliable and faithful representation emissions data. Through accreditation under the UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) scheme EN 45011, we have achieved an important independent professional endorsement of our verification process.

Verification is the process for ensuring that reported GHG emission figures are accurate. Our approach will ensure emissions reports are credible, faithfully represented, transparent, consistent and reliable.

We are able to offer verifications for single site, multi-site same operator, or as part of a trade association. Whatever your requirements, BSI will design a unique verification plan to meet your installation[s] needs and deliver the verification service to meet your timescale whilst ensuring compliance with regulatory deadlines.

BSI typically uses a phased approach to the delivery of its verification service - starting the verification prior to the end of the compliance period, allowing for the early identification of any potential verification issues and their effective closure well in advance of the verification deadline.  Where verification issues are identified these are communicated to the installation and a corrective action plan agreed including timeline for completion and verification of the effectiveness of the corrective action.

The phased approach allows for the management of change as it occurs and re-verification in the event of any monitoring plan or permit variations or significant changes at the installation.

A breakdown of the typical stages involved in the verification is identified below.  Whilst all elements of the verification must be completed, some stages can be combined to develop a bespoke verification plan to meet your needs.

1. Strategic review - enables us to gain an overview of the project activities and an understanding of the significance of emissions.
2. Monitoring and reporting compliance visit  - an on-site verification of information, involving spot checks to determine data reliability. We verify the risk control methods, minimising uncertainty and evaluating the reliability of data from each source.
3. Final verification – final data submission is verified.  Our report specifies the issues uncovered in the verification work and will provide a qualified opinion that reported emissions are not materially misstated.
4. Technical review – a review of the verification opinion and verification documentation by a BSI lead verifier independent of the verification process.1.

If you are seeking a competitive quotation for verification of your organisation’s greenhouse gas emissions, please get in touch.

If you are already one of our clients and have various standards in place, your client manager can help you assess where you are now, and guide you through to the verification process.

If you’re new to BSI, don’t worry, it’s still a simple process.

Get in touch and tell us what you need, so we can sort out the best services for you. We’ll then give you a proposal detailing the cost and time involved in verifying your greenhouse gas emissions.

We will assign you a BSI verifier who will be your main point of contact through the process – and beyond. They will understand your business area and will support you as you hone your measurement skills and move on to submit your annual emissions to your stakeholders.

For further information or a "quick quote" please call us on (+44) (0)845 080 9000. Alternatively fill in the enquiry form and one of our advisors will contact you.

Directive (2008/101/EC) was published on 13 January 2009 amending the Emissions Trading Directive to include emissions from aviation –
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:008:0003:0021:EN:PDF

The Directive and UK regulations will require aviation operators to monitor their CO2 emissions according to approved guidelines and surrender appropriate allowances from 1st January 2012.

In advance of formal inclusion in 2012, it has been mandated by the Directive that emissions data for 2 pre-compliance years, 2010 and 2011, should be monitored, reported and verified in accordance with the requirements of the Directive.  No surrender of allowances is required for the pre-compliance years.

Airlines will be eligible for a free allocation of allowances (each allowance represents one tonne of greenhouse gas emissions) based on 2010 (baseline) data.  A free allocation will only be granted if the baseline data, tonne-km report for 2010, is verified.

The Directive states “Aircraft operators have the most direct control over the type of aircraft in operation and the way in which they are flown and should therefore be responsible for complying with the obligations imposed by this Directive, including the obligation to prepare a monitoring plan and to monitor and report emissions in accordance with that plan”.

Starting in 2012, operators will be required to surrender one allowance for each tonne of CO2 they emit during the reporting year.  At the end of the year if an operator does not have enough allowances to cover their annual CO2 emissions they will need to buy more to avoid any penalties.

In order to demonstrate compliance with the Directive and to trade allowances, all aircraft operators must submit a verified annual emissions report by 31st March of the following year from 2010 onwards.

The Environment Agency is the primary regulator in the UK and has produced a guidance document to support the aviation sector in complying with the Directive and the Monitoring and Reporting guidelines.

Environment agency Guidance document – http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/EU_ETS_Aviation_guidance_1.0_280509.pdf 

The monitoring and Reporting guidelines – http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:103:0010:0029:EN:PDF

All flights which arrive at or depart from an aerodrome situated in an EU Member State will be eligible for inclusion in EU ETS from 1-1-2012, full details on eligibility are provided in Annex I of the http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:008:0003:0021:EN:PDF.

This will affect some 3000 commercial and non-commercial airlines which will all become members of the EU ETS.

Operators have been assigned to one of the member states for ongoing regulation. Operators that have been issued an EU Operating Licence, have been assigned to the member state responsible for issuing the licence. All other operators have been assigned to a member state on the basis of the greatest attributable proportion of CO2 emissions.  As the UK has some of the world’s busiest airports, just over 25% of operators have been assigned to the UK for regulation and verification.

The Environment Agency is the primary regulator in the UK.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/pollution/32232.aspx

The UK (as a member state) has been allocated ~ 750 airlines. - http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/pdf/aviation/alloc_operators_110209.

Timescale

• July 2009 – UK regulations to be available
• 31-8-2009 – airlines to submit annual monitoring plans to regulator by 31-8-09, for approval by 31-12-2009 and Tonne-km monitoring plans (if applying for a free allocation).
• 1-1-2010 – 31-12-2010 – operators to collect annual emissions data in accordance with their approved monitoring plan and tonne-km data if applying for a free allocation.
• 31-3-2011 – deadline for provision of verified 2010 annual emissions reports and tonne-km reports
• 1-1-2011 – 31-12-2011 – operators to collect annual emissions data in accordance with their approved monitoring plan for pre-compliance year 2011
• 31-3-2011 – deadline for provision of verified 2011 annual emissions reports
• 1-1-2012 – 31-12-2012 aviation formerly included in the EU ETS
• 31-3-2013 - deadline for provision of verified 2012 annual emissions reports
• 30-4-2013 – operator to surrender allowances

Aviation Verification Requirements

There are initially 2 verification requirements:

1 - Annual emissions report (2010 onwards)

Annual emissions reports are required for 2010, 2011 and 2012 and each year is required to be verified by 31st March of the following year.

2 – Baseline Report (2010 only)

The tonne-kilometre report will be used as basis for allocation of allowances to aircraft operators, verification of this report is only required for operators wishing to receive the free allocation.

The verification of the tonne-km Baseline report for 2010 will be carried out alongside the 2010 annual verification to optimise efficiency.

For detailed information on the verification process click here.