ISO 14068 – The Path to Carbon Neutrality

Why would an organisation want certification? 

ISO 14068 has many benefits that would not only be appealing but beneficial to an organisation and outweigh PAS 2060 benefits, including: 

• Trust and credibility – It builds confidence and trust with stakeholders and clients. 

• Competitive Advantage – Many customers or stakeholders may require an organisation to have this standard, and those who do will stand out from the crowd. 

• Risk Reduction – Demonstrates compliance and avoids accusations of false claims  

• Alignment with net zero – Prepares an organisation for any net zero goals whilst tackling carbon neutrality 

What does the certification journey look like? 

Step 1: Commitment  

Your organisation will make a formal commitment to carbon neutrality, and work out who or what is being certified i.e. a person or an event 

Step 2: Define boundaries  

Your organisation should agree on the scope of certification, for example 

• If it is your organisation that is getting certified, then you should work out if it’s all sites, operations and activities  

• If it’s a product or service, work out whether a full life cycle assessment is needed  

• If it’s event, you’ll likely need a start to finish footprint 

Step 3: Measure your emissions 

ISO 14068 itself doesn’t allow you to calculate emissions, you will need to measure against the existing GHG standards, they are: 

ISO 14064 – for organisations 

ISO 14067 – for products 

Your data must include scope 1, 2 and 3 (direct emissions, purchased energy and supply chains) and information such as energy bills, travel, waste procurement and logistics). 

Step 4: Create a Carbon Neutrality Plan 

Develop a Carbon Neutrality Management Plan that: 

• Sets long and short-term reduction targets 

• Outlines reduction actions e.g. energy efficiency, renewable electricity 

• Includes a timeline for continuous improvement 

Step 5: Reduce emissions 

Implement projects to cut your emissions, examples of this include switching to renewable energy or improving efficiency  

Step 6: Offset residual emissions  

• After reductions, you must offset what’s left with carbon credits 

• You must ensure that the offsets are verified by recognised schemes e.g. Gold Standard, retired within 12 months, real, permanent and finally not double counted 

Step 7: Reporting 

Publish a transparent and easily accessible carbon neutrality report, covering: 

• The scope and boundaries 

• The footprint calculation 

• The reduction measures taken 

• The offset details 

Step 8: Independent Verification and Certification 

The final step would involve an independent certification body, such as Centre for Assessment, reviewing your process, and if successful, you will subsequently receive your ISO 14068 certification. 

How much does it cost? 

The cost will vary depending on the individual organisation and the size of it. Centre for Assessment believes that value is extremely important but also understands that cost is a key factor for organisations considering ISO 14068 certification. We pride ourselves on the quality of our certification services but are also keen to offer highly competitive prices for your company. 

 Of course, the ISO 14068 certification isn’t just a one off, it requires continuous upkeep and maintenance. You’ll need annual reporting and verification to maintain certification, as well as being able to demonstrate continuous improvement. Therefore, each year, your reduction plan must show progress. Although the process may sound rigorous, the benefits and value outweigh the time required to achieve certification.  

For more information 

To find out more about this rewarding and beneficial standard, visit our website: ISO 14068-1 Carbon Neutrality | Centre for Assessment