IWA 42 Net Zero Guidelines

“A tool for policy makers and all who work towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions for their business, group or country

Launched at COP27, the Net Zero Guidelines tackle a major road block for a world where greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to the minimum and balanced by removals: the fragmented net zero governance landscape. Competing approaches and concepts for “Net Zero” sow confusion. The Guidelines provide a common reference for collective efforts, offering a global basis for harmonizing, understanding, and planning for net zero for actors at the state, regional, city and organizational level.

A common understanding of “net zero”

The Net Zero Guidelines set a common path for:

• the definition of “net zero” and related terms (greenhouse gas removals, offsetting, value chain, etc), clarifying the differences in scope between direct emissions, indirect emissions from purchased energy, and other indirect emissions arising from an organization’s activities
• high-level principles for all actors who want to achieve climate neutrality,
• actionable guidance on getting there as soon as possible, by 2050 at the very latest, and
• transparent communication, credible claims, and consistent reporting on emissions, reductions and removals.

The Guidelines build on the momentum of existing voluntary initiatives and increase their impact. Globally accepted “net zero” claims are easier to compare, create an ambition loop, and can be scaled through better regulation.”

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“In order to respond to urgent market requirements, International Workshop Agreements (IWAs) are prepared through a workshop mechanism outside of ISO committee structures, following a procedure that ensures the broadest range of relevant interested parties worldwide have the opportunity to participate, and are approved by consensus amongst the individual participants in the workshops. If there is an existing ISO committee whose scope covers the topic, the published International Workshop Agreement is automatically allocated to this committee for maintenance.”