CEMARS approved under CRC
Organisations participating in the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme now have more ways to showcase their commitment to cutting carbon emissions.
The Environment Agency, UK administrator of the CRC, has approved the Certified Emissions Measurement And Reduction Scheme (CEMARS) as counting towards the CRC Early Action Metric. Previously only the Carbon Trust Standard was recognised as counting towards the metric, which rewards organisations who voluntarily take steps to better manage their energy use before joining CRC.
The decision to approve CEMARS follows extensive consultation with businesses, the public sector and wide range of environmental groups and means CRC participants now have a choice of scheme and an alternative route for gaining credit for earlier efforts to cut carbon.
CEMARS is the first Carbon Trust Equivalent Scheme to be approved by the Environment Agency, but others are currently being considered. All equivalent schemes will be rigorously assessed and must meet a range of requirements, including demonstrating annual carbon savings.
Andrew Hitchings, CRC Project Executive at the Environment Agency, said: “We are pleased to announce CEMARS as a Carbon Trust Standard equivalent scheme under the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. Along with the Carbon Trust Standard, CEMARS allows organisations who are leading the way in environmental management to be rewarded for their efforts to date. Expanding the early action metric to include alternative schemes will make it simpler for participants to show exactly how much genuine engagement they had with emissions management and reduction prior to joining CRC. CRC is a great opportunity for businesses and organisations to show what they have already achieved in reducing emissions and demonstrate a commitment to go even further.”
The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme is administered across the UK by the Environment Agency. The scheme is regulated by the Environment Agency in England and Wales, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in Northern Ireland, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in Scotland.
CEMARS (Certified Emissions Measurement And Reduction Scheme) is the world-class standard adopted by Achilles Information Limited for its
carbonReduction programme. It is the world’s first internationally
accredited greenhouse gas certification scheme to ISO14065.
CEMARS is
operated by Achilles under licence from Landcare Research New Zealand Limited. CEMARS was developed by Landcare Research (a Crown Research Institute owned by the New Zealand Government) based on 15 years of scientific research by greenhouse gas experts. It is the world’s first internationally accredited greenhouse gas certification scheme.
CEMARS is recognised in major economies worldwide and can be applied as the common standard across global operations ensuring consistency of measurement.
CEMARS is the only scheme able to provide certification to ISO14064-1 in the United Kingdom as well as providing organisations affected by the CRC with the Early Action Metric.
For more information go to http://www.achilles.com/carbonfootprint
Further information on the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme:
on365 Guide to the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme