CEMARS certification will help local industries to measure and manage greenhouse-gas emissions
15/03/2011
Australian government’s proposed carbon tax to prompt organisations to seriously review their emissions and look for ways to reduce their related liabilities.
An international provider of independent business assurance says the Australian government’s proposed carbon tax will prompt organisations to seriously review their emissions and look for ways to reduce their related liabilities.
According to Maurice Laratro, Business Centre Manager, Australasia, for Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), Australia can learn from the experiences of trading partners such as New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Japan, countries that are well-versed with carbon pricing.
“With financial liabilities pending for greenhouse gas emissions, 2011 is shaping up as the year for organisations to ensure that these liabilities are accurately accounted for,” said Laratro. “For many organisations, this will have a direct impact on their bottom line. There are also the flow-on effects of carbon pricing, which are likely to increase basic operating costs such as electricity and fuel prices, so improving efficiency takes on a new impetus.”
LRQA has worked with organisations across the globe on a range of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) validation and verification initiatives, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Clean Development Mechanism, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and Tokyo’s metropolitan scheme.
LRQA also offers Certified Emissions Management And Reduction Scheme (CEMARS) certification to support Australian organisations that want to measure and manage their GHG emissions.
CEMARS is Australia’s first internationally accredited GHG certification scheme and is recognised in more than 50 countries. It gives organisations independent verification that their emissions are calculated in accordance with the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System requirements, ISO 14064-1 (the international standard for greenhouse gas quantification and reporting) and a range of international standards and reporting schemes.
Many high-profile companies have adopted CEMARS certification, including Westpac, Toyota and Flight Centre in New Zealand, who have realised you can not manage what you do not measure. Westpac New Zealand says it will save almost NZ$5 million (A$3.6m) in the next three years from reducing carbon emissions.
Certified annually since 2007, when Westpac was recertified in 2009, it had reduced its carbon emissions by 28% year on year.
“CEMARS certification will help organisations to accurately account for their emissions and provide assurance to stakeholders on their commitment towards reducing their carbon footprints,” said Laratro.
CEMARS also will help organisations to market their environmental credentials by using an internationally recognised certification to highlight their 'green' credentials to clients, investors, stakeholders and the broader public, he said.
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