#204 Greenwashing – Separating Fact From Fiction with ISO 14064 Verification
Release Date: 01/22/2025
#210 What is the EU Green Claims Directive
The ISO Show
Greenwashing is a concern for both businesses and consumers. The proliferation of it in recent years has caused genuine green claims to be treated with an air of caution rather than being rightfully celebrated. It’s become clear that there is a need for transparent and substantiated green claims, both to help consumers and stakeholders to make informed decisions and to ensure that real steps towards sustainability are being taken. Is the upcoming EU Green Claims Directive the answer we’ve been looking for? In this episode Mel is joined by Charlie Martin, CEO and Founder of The...
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#209 Introducing The Anti-Greenwash Charter
The ISO Show
We are hitting a crunch point in regard to keeping to the 1.5°C limit as set out in the Paris Agreement. It’s going to take a collective effort to reduce the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, which is exactly why we’re seeing an increase in legislation and regulations that call for tangible evidence of sustainability efforts to combat the rise in greenwashing. If you’re looking for guidance on sustainability transparency, today’s guest has an initiative that can help. In this episode Mel is joined by Charlie Martin, CEO and Founder of The Anti-Greenwash Charter,...
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#208 The Pros and Cons of Sustainability Standards
The ISO Show
ISO Standards have been at the forefront of creating a unified approach to various aspects of sustainability, ensuring businesses have a robust framework to both manage and reduce their environmental impact. However, there are a lot of different sustainability Standards that cover specific areas of sustainability, or only apply to certain sectors. Each come with their own pros and cons, making it tricky to pick the best fit for you. In this episode Steph Churchman introduces four of the leading sustainability focused ISO Standards and explains the benefits and disadvantages of...
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#207 Management Review – The Fallacy Of The Annual Event
The ISO Show
If you’ve ever implemented an ISO Standard, then the term Management Review will be familiar to you. It’s a mandatory part of the implementation process, and a crucial tool for monitoring continual improvement. Somewhere down the line, it’s become a bit of a myth that a Management Review needs to be an annual meeting. That is simply not the case, while required by the Standard, it’s very flexible on how this could be achieved. In this episode Ian discusses the purpose of Management Review, including what you should be including and getting out of the review and breaks down...
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#206 Aligning Objectives with Strategic Direction
The ISO Show
The importance of setting key objectives can’t be understated. They help drive continual improvement and reflect a business’s key metrics for success in various areas. They are also a key aspect of implementing an ISO Standard, with most specifying a dedicated Objectives clause. While most businesses will have objectives irrespective of any ISO certification, many may fall into the familiar trappings of having separate objectives for different departments, which only serves to fragment your measurement of success. In this episode Ian discusses the importance of setting key business...
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#205 Building AI Resilience with Cloud Direct
The ISO Show
AI usage has skyrocketed in the past 2 years, with many commonplace apps and software now featuring an AI integration in some form. With the rapid development and possibilities unlocked with this powerful technology, it can be tempting to go full steam ahead with implementing AI use into your day-to-day business activities. However, new technologies come with new risks that need to be understood and mitigated before any potential incidents. In this episode Mark Philip, Information Security Manager at Cloud Direct, joins Ian to discuss emerging AI risks and how you can build AI...
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#204 Greenwashing – Separating Fact From Fiction with ISO 14064 Verification
The ISO Show
The uptick in greenwashing cases, and subsequent outing of these claims only serves to make stakeholders and consumers dubious of any businesses sustainability pledges. One key way to combat this is to have the information to back up your claims, something that is becoming a mandatory requirement for some depending on sector, location or company size. In this episode, Mel dives into the use of ISO 14064 and how verification to this internationally recognised Standard can help companies build trust and ensure their climate action claims are genuine and impactful. You’ll learn ...
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#203 The 7 Shades of Greenwashing
The ISO Show
The rampant rise of greenwashing threatens to undermine genuine sustainability efforts and mislead consumers, with over 900 businesses in Europe being accused of the practice in 2024. Greenwashing can come in many different forms, and the tactics used aren’t always easy to spot. In this episode, Mel dives into the 7 shades of greenwashing and explains the common greenwashing tactics you should be on the lookout for. You’ll learn · What is Greencrowding? · What is Greenlighting? · What...
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#202 The Rise of Greenwashing
The ISO Show
In a world increasingly concerned about environmental impact, companies are under immense pressure to demonstrate their sustainability credentials. But how can businesses truly differentiate themselves from those simply paying lip service to green practices? Greenwashing is a term that you will likely be familiar with, as it’s one that’s been on the rise as consumer preference steers towards those who are seen to be doing the right thing. Alarmingly, high-severity cases, which involve companies that took a purposeful and systematic approach to concealing ESG violations, rise by more than...
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#201 It Shouldn’t Happen To An Auditor
The ISO Show
The end of another year has rolled around in the blink of an eye! We’ve managed to publish a whopping 42 episodes this year, pushing us over the 200 episode mark. We want to thank all our listeners, both old and new, for allowing us to continue to share both ISO tips and success stories from our wonderful clients. We hope you’ll follow along as we continue our podcasting journey in 2025. To close out the year, Ian Battersby and Steve Mason share some of their stories of misadventures during audits, from common mistakes, to broom battles and forklift mishaps, they really have seen...
info_outlineThe uptick in greenwashing cases, and subsequent outing of these claims only serves to make stakeholders and consumers dubious of any businesses sustainability pledges.
One key way to combat this is to have the information to back up your claims, something that is becoming a mandatory requirement for some depending on sector, location or company size.
In this episode, Mel dives into the use of ISO 14064 and how verification to this internationally recognised Standard can help companies build trust and ensure their climate action claims are genuine and impactful.
You’ll learn
· What is Greenmasking?
· Why there is a need for transparency in green claims
· What is Greenhouse Gas Statement Verification?
· What is ISO 14064?
· How can ISO 14064 Verification combat greenmasking?
Resources
· 7 Shades of Greenwashing Guide
In this episode, we talk about:
[02:05] Episode Summary – In this episode, Mel delves into the world of ISO 14064 and explores how verification under this international standard can help companies build trust and ensure their climate action claims are genuine.
Catch-up with the previous episodes in the series here:
[03:05] What is greenmasking?: Greenmasking (a term coined by Carbonology®) is used to describe the practice where organisations self-certify their environmental impact without independent verification.
This means they claim their green credentials are accurate while avoiding transparency about their methodology and data. Essentially, they are "marking their own homework," which can lead to misleading claims about their sustainability efforts.
This could be compared to someone completing their own MOT and signing it off themselves, instead of taking it to a qualified mechanic. Obviously, that MOT certificate wouldn’t be valid in that case, and would have no credibility when it came to selling the car.
[04:45] The need for transparency – For carbon reporting to succeed globally, enforcement will need to be standardised across all nations.
With transparency around ESG initiatives increasingly important, you need to be able to objectively and accurately measure and report on your carbon footprint. Some to keep an eye on include the Green Claims Directive and the Anti-Greenwashing Charter.
Stakeholders are now looking for independent Verification of the accuracy of your emissions data and your calculated carbon footprint through Standards such as ISO 14064-3.
[07:05] What is Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Statement Verification? - GHG Verification is the engagement of an independent third-party by an organisation to provide Verification of their GHG statements using standards such as ISO 14064-3.
Carbon footprint Verification involves, collecting data and reporting on your emissions from your company’s activities, and then independently verifying its accuracy to provide assurance to stakeholders that your claims are transparent and true.
If you’d like to learn more about the differences between the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and ISO 14064, check out a previous episode.
[08:10] What is ISO 14064-1 and ISO 14064-3? – This is the specification for Greenhouse Gas emissions reporting and part 3 is the specification for verifying that, covering more elements than the Greenhouse Gas protocol.
The reporting requires you to collect data from various sources across your scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, collating it into a report and then have that report independently checked against the requirements of ISO 14064.
[09:45] How can Greenhouse Gas Verification combat greenmasking? –
· Highlights integrity - Verification against ISO 14064-1 highlights the veracity of your systems and processes to prove your GHG inventory, assertions and reports conform to the ISO 14064 standard; and are free from errors, omissions or misstatements, demonstrating the highest integrity of your GHG reporting.
· Validation of Net Zero goals - Verification against ISO 14064-1, establishes the integrity of your claims towards Net Zero.
· Verify success - Verification against ISO 14064-1 provides assurance of your carbon footprint declarations which will give confidence in achieving the projected emission reductions
· Stakeholder assurance - Stakeholders are increasingly looking for independent Verification of GHG Data to prove reduction are achieved year on year
Download a copy of The 7 Shades of Greenwashing from Carbonology’s website here.
If you would like some assistance with carbon Standards and reporting, simply get in touch with the team over at Carbonology.
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