Pathfinder Framework

Context

Access to an accurate GHG emission baseline is central for the decarbonization trajectories of both organizations and entire value chains. Many organizations lack primary data to account for emissions arising within a product’s life cycle accurately. General-purpose emission factor databases are used to fill this gap, though this data is often not specific enough to meet the exact needs of organizations. High-quality product life cycle accounting is also inhibited by the inconsistent use of methodologies to account for product emissions. Existing standards and protocols (such as ISO and GHG Protocol standards) and sector guidelines (such as the Product Category Rules or Product Environmental Footprint method) further leave room for interpretation. This results in inconsistent and insufficient accounting, reporting and exchange of emissions data.

What we are doing

We are seeking to address this through the Pathfinder Framework. By providing industry-agnostic guidance that builds on existing standards and protocols and sector, guidelines the Framework ensures emissions are calculated in a comparable and consistent manner, resulting in reliable, high quality and applicable data. The Framework further aims to help businesses develop a better understanding of the carbon emissions of their products by encouraging and guiding the exchange of standardized primary carbon footprint across the value chain.

The Framework was developed jointly by members of the Pathfinder Ecosystem.