Ahead of COP30,聽30 leading industrial and utilities companies around the world聽have joined coordinators of the聽Let Green Gas Count聽campaign (including ADBA, the聽American Biogas Council EBA, eNG Coalition, Eurogas, Molecule Group, RNG Coalition, World Biogas Association)聽in call to the聽Green House Gas Protocol聽to explicitly recognize market-based instruments for renewable gases such as biogas and renewable natural gas (RNG) in a joint letter. (RNG is referred to as biomethane outside North America.)
Due for revision by 2028, the GHG Protocol framework guiding 97% of the Fortune 500 does not explicitly allow companies to聽claim credit for purchasing green gas certificates among other tools, despite repeated calls from over 230 organizations. The Brazilian COP Presidency recently pledged to boost production and use of renewable gases, issuing a聽call for greater global investment into these alternatives聽to reach Net Zero.
Leading European gas trade association and Let Green Gas Count coordinator聽Eurogas has called the GHG Protocol revision a prime opportunity to boost investor confidence in renewable gases. The Let Green Gas Count campaign and industrial and utilities leaders specifically call for the GHG Protocol to issue an interim statement, back market-based certificates, and fast-track its review.
The GHG Protocol is the most widely used framework for greenhouse gas accounting in the world, meant to provide transparency to emissions measuring, managing and reporting. Policymakers and regulators across the globe refer to its guidance, as do聽97% of the Fortune 500. With such influence, its revision could shape how industries cut emissions for years to come. However, the GHG Protocol has yet to respond to calls from over 200 industrial representatives in February 2025 to urgently revise standards in support of green gases.
The letter from industrial and utilities leaders aligns with the Brazilian COP Presidency鈥檚聽recent pledge聽to quadruple production and use of renewable fuels, including gases, by 2035, and call for further investment into these alternatives as an essential tool for achieving Net Zero.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA)鈥檚聽2025 Outlook for Biogas and Biomethane, policymakers around the world have introduced over 50 new policies to support biogas uptake since 2020. In the EU, renewable gases like biogas, RNG and e-methane are already recognized as having a vital role to play in decarbonizing the economy and supporting European security of supply. But despite consensus on their benefits,聽only around 5% of the total potential聽for sustainable production of biogas and RNG is currently being used.
The joint letter therefore calls for the upcoming GHG Protocol revision to boost investor confidence by explicitly recognizing market-based tools which incentivize producers and consumers to decarbonize. These include, for example, certification schemes, such as guarantees of origin or proof of sustainability certificates, which verify the environmental attributes and sustainability of energy sources.
Patrick Serfass, Executive Director of the American Biogas Council, the voice of the U.S. biogas industry, said:聽鈥淏iogas is the 鈥楽wiss Army knife鈥� of renewable fuels鈥攐ften carbon negative, always community positive, and vital for cutting emissions in industries that are hardest to decarbonize. Clearer guidance in the GHG Protocol is essential to help businesses and governments fully unlock its potential.鈥�
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