ISO and GHG Protocol Form 250-Expert Working Group to Build Unified Product Carbon Standard Across 50+ Countries

ISO and GHG Protocol have finalized a new Joint Working Group to develop an updated and harmonized product-level greenhouse gas accounting standard. The initiative marks a significant step in efforts to reduce fragmentation in carbon measurement and reporting, especially as companies face rising pressure to provide consistent product emissions data across supply chains, reporting frameworks, and trade systems.

The scale of interest in the working group underlines how important product-level emissions accounting has become. More than 450 submissions were received from over 50 countries and 410 organizations, with the final group bringing together more than 250 experts from business, academia, government, and technical bodies.

 

A move to simplify a fragmented standards landscape

 

The new working group builds on the broader partnership launched last year between ISO and GHG Protocol to align global greenhouse gas accounting standards. One of the most important priorities in that collaboration has been the creation of a joint product carbon footprint standard that can provide a more unified approach for companies measuring emissions across goods and value chains.

This matters because product carbon accounting has become increasingly complex. Companies often face overlapping methodologies, inconsistent data expectations, and growing demands from customers, regulators, and investors. A more harmonized standard could reduce reporting friction, improve comparability, and make product-level emissions data more useful in operational and commercial decision-making.

 

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Why this standard matters now

 

The push for a common product-level standard comes at a time when emissions data is being used for far more than sustainability reporting. Product carbon footprints are becoming more relevant in procurement, supplier engagement, eco-design, compliance processes, and cross-border trade mechanisms. As a result, the quality and consistency of this data are becoming more material to business performance and market access.

The new standard is expected to build on existing frameworks while moving toward a single methodology that supports credible decarbonisation strategies, stronger transparency, and more practical implementation across industries. That gives the initiative significance not only for sustainability teams, but also for manufacturers, software providers, auditors, and supply chain leaders.

 

Broad participation reflects growing market demand

 

The composition of the working group also shows how wide the demand has become. Representatives include participants from large multinational companies, technical organizations, and professional bodies across multiple sectors. That diversity suggests product carbon accounting is no longer a narrow technical issue. It is becoming part of mainstream business infrastructure.

As more companies are asked to measure, disclose, and reduce emissions at the product level, a unified standard could help create a more reliable foundation for decision-making. It may also improve interoperability between different systems and reduce the burden of navigating multiple frameworks at once.

 

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What this signals

 

The formation of the working group signals that product-level emissions accounting is moving closer to a globally aligned model. That does not mean harmonisation is complete, but it does show that two of the most influential organizations in carbon accounting are now working directly toward a shared framework.

For companies, this points to a future where product carbon data may become more standardised, more comparable, and more central to how climate performance is managed across value chains. For the wider market, the key question will be whether the final standard can deliver enough rigor and usability to become the common reference point for product-level greenhouse gas accounting.