ANSI issues accreditations for GHG program.
Press Release Summary:
ANSI announced that 7 organizations have been accredited under program that facilitates inventory and reduction of greenhouse gases from environment. Validation and/or verification bodies include Advanced Waste Management, Bureau Veritas Certification North America, First Environment, NSF International Strategic Registrations, Rainforest Alliance, Ryerson, Master and Associates, Inc., and SGS Environmental Services, Inc.
Original Press Release:
ANSI Issues First Set of Accreditations under New Program for Greenhouse Gas Validation and Verification
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system, announced today that seven organizations have been accredited under a new program that facilitates the inventory and reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) from the environment.
These validation and/or verification bodies (VVBs) are the first to be recognized under the ANSI pilot accreditation program that was launched in February 2008:
-Advanced Waste Management
-Bureau Veritas Certification North America
-First Environment
-NSF International Strategic Registrations
-Rainforest Alliance
-Ryerson, Master and Associates, Inc.
-SGS Environmental Services, Inc.
With a growing global awareness of the need for environmental protection and sustainability, organizations are eager to demonstrate their efforts to inventory, report, and reduce GHG emissions. In order to assure the credibility of their claims, many of these organizations are turning to third-party bodies to validate and verify emission assertions.
Often used interchangeably, the terms "validate" and "verify" represent two separate and distinct processes. Validation comes at the beginning of a project and lays out the framework by which emission reductions will occur. Verification assesses how an organization or project has performed its GHG inventory and reported its results against an established protocol, demonstrating the relevance, completeness, consistency, transparency, and accuracy of the emission claim.
ANSI accreditation enhances the credibility and value of the process by attesting to the competence and qualification of VVBs to perform these duties, offering them a significant distinction from their competitors in the marketplace.
"This program marks a significant step forward in assuring integrity and consistency in emission reporting and reduction projects across industry sectors and geographical borders," said Lane Hallenbeck, ANSI vice president of accreditation services. "The Institute is pleased to join in strengthening consumer confidence and promoting best practices for the validation and verification of GHG emissions."
Applicable to a broad spectrum of industries, the ANSI GHG accreditation program operates according to requirements defined in the international standards ISO 14065:2007, Greenhouse gases - Requirements for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies for use in accreditation or other forms of recognition, and ISO 14064-3:2006, Greenhouse gases - Specification with guidance for the validation and verification of greenhouse gas assertions.
In support of the program, The Climate Registry, the Chicago Climate Exchange, and the California Climate Action Registry each signed partnership agreements with ANSI earlier this year. And as the U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), ANSI accreditation is also recognized by the Voluntary Carbon Standard Association. Under the terms of these agreements, ANSI's program applicants can choose to be assessed not only under ISO 14065:2007 requirements, but also the specific protocols and requirements defined by these partner organizations.
Today's announcement marks the formal launch of the ANSI GHG program. Additional VVBs enrolled during the pilot program will continue in the accreditation process, and new applicants will be accepted beginning in January 2009.
"ANSI congratulates the bodies that achieved accreditation under the first round of this new initiative," continued Hallenbeck. "Greenhouse gas validation and verification is an emerging market, and we anticipate continued growth in the program as more organizations become involved in providing this valuable service."
For more information on the ANSI Accreditation Program for Greenhouse Gas Validation/Verification Bodies, visit ansi.org/ghg.
About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.
The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
