BSI PAS 2060
Encyclopedia
PAS
2060 is a specification detailing how to demonstrate carbon neutrality produced and published by the British Standards Institution.
The steering group was made up of a number of public and private organisations and associations, including the Association of British Certification Bodies, Aviva
, BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method), Carbon Clear
, The Carbon Neutral Company
, The Carbon Trust
, The Co-operative Group
, Department of Energy and Climate Change
, Eurostar
, Future Conversations (Concrete Centre), Good Energy
, Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment
, Marks and Spencer, Oxford Brookes University
and UPM-Kymmene.
PAS 2060 Specification for the demonstration of carbon neutrality was launched in June 2010.
The carbon footprint
measurements should include 100% of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, plus all Scope 3 emissions that contribute more than 1% of the total footprint.
The entity must develop a Carbon Management Plan which contains a public commitment to carbon neutrality and outlines the following major aspects of the reduction strategy: a time scale, specific targets for reductions, the planned means of achieving reductions and how residual emissions will be offset.
PAS 2060 requires that the total amount of carbon emissions at the end of a reduction period be offset
by high-quality, certified carbon credits which meet the following criteria:
• From one of the PAS 2060 approved schemes (for example the Clean Development Mechanism
, Joint Implementation
or Voluntary Carbon Standard
)
• Genuinely additional (i.e. reductions that would not have happened anyway)
• Verified by an independent third party to ensure that emission reductions are permanent, avoid leakage (so that emissions are not increased in another area as a result of the project reductions) and are not double counted
• Retired after a maximum of 12 months to a credible registry.
The standard stipulates three types of validation of the achievement of neutrality: self validation, other party validation and third party independent validation. Other party validation occurs when the methodology and data has been audited and verified by an external organisation; third party independent validation occurs when it is verification is by an agent registered with UKAS.
Publicly Available Specification
The PAS is a consultative document where the development process and written format is based on the British Standard model...
2060 is a specification detailing how to demonstrate carbon neutrality produced and published by the British Standards Institution.
History
The British Standards Institution announced the development of the PAS 2060 Standard for Carbon Neutrality in October 2009 with the objective of increasing transparency of carbon neutrality claims by providing a common definition and recognized method of achieving carbon neutral status.The steering group was made up of a number of public and private organisations and associations, including the Association of British Certification Bodies, Aviva
Aviva
Aviva plc is a global insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has 53 million customers in 28 countries...
, BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method), Carbon Clear
Carbon Clear
Carbon Clear is a carbon management consultancy specialising in helping organisations to reduce their carbon impact. Carbon Clear is a founding member of the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance .- Company History :...
, The Carbon Neutral Company
The Carbon Neutral Company
The CarbonNeutral Company is a global provider of carbon reduction solutions. Founded in 1997, the company has been one of the first providers of voluntary carbon offset credits in the world. Today, the company works with businesses in 32 countries to help them measure and reduce their carbon...
, The Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust is a not for dividend company limited by guarantee created by the UK government to help businesses and public organisations to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, through improved energy efficiency and developing commercial low carbon technology...
, The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
, Department of Energy and Climate Change
Department of Energy and Climate Change
The Department of Energy and Climate Change is a British government department created on 3 October 2008 by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take over some of the functions of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs...
, Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
, Future Conversations (Concrete Centre), Good Energy
Good Energy
Good Energy is a renewable energy company in the United Kingdom. It supplies 100% renewable electricity to homes and businesses throughout the UK.-History:...
, Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment
Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment
The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment is the largest professional body for environmental practitioners in the United Kingdom and Worldwide approaching 15,000 members....
, Marks and Spencer, Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...
and UPM-Kymmene.
PAS 2060 Specification for the demonstration of carbon neutrality was launched in June 2010.
Compliance with PAS 2060
The specification defines a consistent set of measures and requirements for entities (e.g. organisations, governments, communities, families, individuals) to demonstrate carbon neutrality for a product, service, organisation, community, event or building.The carbon footprint
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
measurements should include 100% of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, plus all Scope 3 emissions that contribute more than 1% of the total footprint.
The entity must develop a Carbon Management Plan which contains a public commitment to carbon neutrality and outlines the following major aspects of the reduction strategy: a time scale, specific targets for reductions, the planned means of achieving reductions and how residual emissions will be offset.
PAS 2060 requires that the total amount of carbon emissions at the end of a reduction period be offset
Carbon offset
A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for or to offset an emission made elsewhere....
by high-quality, certified carbon credits which meet the following criteria:
• From one of the PAS 2060 approved schemes (for example the Clean Development Mechanism
Clean Development Mechanism
The Clean Development Mechanism is one of the "flexibility" mechanisms defined in the Kyoto Protocol . It is defined in Article 12 of the Protocol, and is intended to meet two objectives: to assist parties not included in Annex I in achieving sustainable development and in contributing to the...
, Joint Implementation
Joint Implementation
Joint implementation is one of three flexibility mechanisms set forth in the Kyoto Protocol to help countries with binding greenhouse gas emissions targets meet their obligations. JI is set forth in Article 6 of the Kyoto Protocol...
or Voluntary Carbon Standard
Voluntary Carbon Standard
The Verified Carbon Standard formerly the Voluntary Carbon Standard is a quality standard for voluntary carbon offset industry. Based on the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, VCS establishes criteria for validating, measuring, and monitoring carbon offset projects....
)
• Genuinely additional (i.e. reductions that would not have happened anyway)
• Verified by an independent third party to ensure that emission reductions are permanent, avoid leakage (so that emissions are not increased in another area as a result of the project reductions) and are not double counted
• Retired after a maximum of 12 months to a credible registry.
Documentation and Verification
PAS 2060 requires a standard-compliant declaration of achievement of neutrality through a set of Qualifying Explanatory Statements and public disclosure of all the documentation that supports the carbon neutrality claim.The standard stipulates three types of validation of the achievement of neutrality: self validation, other party validation and third party independent validation. Other party validation occurs when the methodology and data has been audited and verified by an external organisation; third party independent validation occurs when it is verification is by an agent registered with UKAS.