Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)
Greenhouse Gas Audit
Businesses involved in efforts to reduce the effects of climate change that wish to obtain a reliable, impartial opinion on their data estimates for a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory or GHG reduction project may look to the BNQ and its experience:
- audits of GHG inventories and GHG reduction projects since 2004;
- audits conducted in accordance with the ISO 14064-3 standard (requirements for organizations and persons in charge of quantifying and verifying GHG emissions) since 2006;
- accreditation as an GHG auditing organization from the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) in 2010 (under the ISO 14065 standard for organizations providing GHG verification and audits for accreditation or other forms of recognition);
- various fields (for example, aluminum, urban infrastructure and transportation).
The BNQ’s notices of audit also make it possible to gain access to numerous regulatory or voluntary programs, and may be used for carbon market transactions.
This certification is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada.
Enterprises involved
The BNQ works with all enterprises, whether they must produce a mandatory declaration or are acting voluntarily. Major emitters from various sectors of activity, including aluminium, energy, transportation, and urban infrastructure, rely on the BNQ’s auditors.
In Quebec, enterprises whose annual GHG emissions are greater than or equal to 25,000 metric tons in CO2 equivalents — excluding CO2 emissions related to the combustion of biomass — are obliged to produce a declaration and participate in the Cap-and-Trade (C&T) system. Since 2018, enterprises whose annual GHG emissions are greater than or equal to 10,000 tons in CO2 equivalents may voluntarily register with the C&T system.
An enterprise may also document its GHG emissions and its GHG reduction projects to better understand and control its environmental footprint and gain competitive advantage.
Verification steps involved
The approach used for verifying GHG data complies with the national and international accreditation requirements in force. The BNQ’s procedure is divided into five main steps:
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STEP |
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ACTIONS |
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1- Request for verification |
- Appointment of lead auditor |
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2- Preliminary assessment |
- Review of client’s GHG documents |
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3- Audit visit |
- Examination of evidence |
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4- Corroboration |
- Assessment of evidence to determine compliance with audit criteria |
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5- Notice of audit |
- Drafting and presentation of notice of audit |
Application for Verification - GHG
Qualified auditors
The BNQ’s team of auditors is qualified in accordance with the requirements of the internationally recognized standard ISO 14066 “Competence requirements for teams, technical experts and independent reviewers involved in the validation and verification of environmental information”.
All of our auditors have successfully undergone training based on the standards of the ISO 14064 series related to the verification of inventories and projects for the reduction of GHG emissions. The training is offered by Environment and Climate Change Canada, CSA Learning, and the GHG Management Institute.
All the programs for the qualification of BNQ team members are accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) in accordance with ISO 14065 “General principles and requirements for bodies validating and verifying environmental information”.
Some of our auditors have participated in the verification process of the pilot project on the carbon footprint of Quebec products under the guidance of internationally recognized guidelines such as ISO 14067 on the carbon footprint of products, the “GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard (GHG Protocol)”, the standard PAS2050 Carbon Footprint Verification (CFV), the Product Environmental Footprint Guide by the European Commission, and ISO standards 14040 and 14044 governing product life cycle assessment.
Notice of amendment
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Transition vers les normes ISO 14064-1:2018, ISO 14064-2:2019 et ISO 14064 3:2019 (English version available soon) |
Subcommittee 7 “Greenhouse Gas Management and Related Activities” of the ISO Technical Committee 207 “Environmental Management” (ISO/TC 207) leads the revision and amendment projects for the ISO 14064 standard. Its progress can be monitored on the ISO website.
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Contact
Charles Landry
Program Leader
Bureau de normalisation du Québec
Tel.: 418-652-2238 / 1-800-386-5114, ext. 2922
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