Ernst & Young Achieves ANSI Accreditation for Greenhouse Gas Emission Verification

Initiative helps boost consumer, industry, and government confidence in greenhouse gas reporting

NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system, is pleased to announce the accreditation of Ernst & Young under the Institute's Accreditation Program for Greenhouse Gas Validation/Verification Bodies. Launched in 2008, the program oversees the professional conduct of third-parties responsible for verifying the accuracy of emission assertions.

With a growing global awareness of the need for environmental protection and sustainability, organizations are eager to demonstrate their efforts to inventory, report, and reduce GHG emissions by turning to third-party bodies to verify their claims. The majority of existing voluntary disclosure programs as well as mandatory reporting regulations in North America require accredited third-party verification.

A member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), ANSI is the only U.S. body accrediting against ISO 14065:2007, Greenhouse gases - Requirements for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies for use in accreditation or other forms of recognition, and operates under ISO/IEC 17011:2004, Conformity assessment - General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies, which represents the highest internationally accepted practices for accreditation bodies.

Ernst & Young has achieved ANSI accreditation to verify GHG assertions related to GHG emissions and removals at the organizational level. As a third-party verification body, Ernst & Young will assess how an organization has measured and quantified its GHG inventory and reported its results against an established protocol. This process ensures the relevance, completeness, consistency, transparency, and accuracy of the emission assertion. More information on Ernst & Young's accreditation can be found on the ANSI Accreditation Directory. 

"ANSI commends Ernst & Young for achieving accreditation and helping to build confidence in the reliability of quantification, monitoring, reporting, and verification of GHG emissions and removal," said Lane Hallenbeck, ANSI vice president of accreditation services. "Accreditation by ANSI creates a valuable distinction for Ernst & Young's verification program. This achievement marks the culmination of a multi-month effort to demonstrate compliance to a rigorous internationally recognized accreditation process."

"Our clients face increasingly complex regulatory requirements, as well as the weight of public expectations around GHG emissions," said Ann Brockett, Americas assurance leader in Ernst & Young's Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice. "The trend towards greater disclosure adds pressure, but also brings opportunities to generate revenue and cut costs. Our accreditation will enhance our existing service offerings and help our clients meet their publicly-stated goals."

Applicable to a broad spectrum of industries, the ANSI GHG accreditation program operates according to requirements defined in the international standards ISO 14065:2007 and ISO 14064-3:2006, Greenhouse gases – Specification with guidance for the validation and verification of greenhouse gas assertions.

For more information on the ANSI Accreditation Program for Greenhouse Gas Validation/Verification Bodies, visit www.ansi.org/ghg.

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

For more information, please visit ey.com/climatechange.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.

SOURCE American National Standards Institute