Achilles receives government approval to provide the Early Action Metric in the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme
7th June 2010 ABINGDON: The Environment Agency has approved CEMARS, the chosen certification standard for Achilles’ carbonReduction programme, as an Early Action Metric in the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.
This decision puts Achilles’ carbonReduction programme at the forefront of credible carbon measurement, management and reduction in the United Kingdom. It is the only programme in the United Kingdom with a standard that provides certification to ISO14064 Part 1, is government approved and is recognised in major economies globally.
Lucy d’Arville, Director of Carbon Reduction Services at Achilles commented “This is a sensible decision that now offers companies affected by the CRC a choice of standard for achieving their Early Action Metric. The recognition reinforces the high standard of Achilles’ carbonReduction programme and validates its choice of CEMARS as its certification standard, which is the world’s first internationally accredited greenhouse gas certification scheme”.
CEMARS certification removes the cost of duplication for companies committed to credible ISO-certification as well as regulatory compliance. By attaining CEMARS certification, customers will have verified information that can be submitted with confidence for their CRC reporting and with no additional work or cost, have the opportunity to achieve the Early Action Metric. This could deliver significant financial benefits to successful companies. Furthermore, for companies that operate globally, they can apply CEMARS to all operations, which will fulfil UK legislative requirements on carbon consumption whilst being in line with emerging international standards.
Notes to Editors:
Achilles’ carbonReduction programme is a collaborative community model developed for international use across all industries focused on reducing carbon in the supply chain. It allows organisations to measure, manage, report and verify their organisational carbon footprint as well as their suppliers. CEMARS is the standard adopted for certification. Within the UK, over 50 major organisations are participating in the carbonReduction programme including: United Utilities, Scottish and Southern Energy, Elster Metering, Mott MacDonald, May Gurney, Clancy Docwra, Radius Systems, Bi-Water, Black and Veatch, Laing O’Rourke, MWH, Balfour Beatty, McNicholas and ITT Water and Wastewater.
The Certified Emissions Measurement and Reduction Scheme (CEMARS) developed by Landcare Research (a Crown Research Institute owned by the New Zealand Government) and based on 15 years of scientific research by greenhouse gas experts, is the world’s first internationally accredited greenhouse gas certification scheme. It is a well established international greenhouse gas certification standard which is based upon the World Resources Institute GHG protocol and is fully compliant with the international standard for quantifying organisational greenhouse gas emissions, ISO14064 Part 1. CEMARS is fully accredited to ISO14065, the recognised international standard for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies, and is now approved by the UK’s Environment Agency as an Early Action Metric under the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.
CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme is mandatory UK legislation commencing 1st April 2010. Over 5000 companies are expected to be affected. Organisations that exceeded 6000 megawatt-hours (MWh) on half-hourly metres during 2008 will be required to comply with the full regulation and will have to demonstrate a reduction in their carbon usage.
All companies looking to gain an Early Action Metric (measure giving recognition for energy reductions and influencing League Table Performance) will have to do so by June 2011.
For further information, please contact:
Charlotte Vereker
Group Marketing
Tel: +44(0)1235 820813
Email: marketing@achilles.com
The Achilles Group, headquartered in the UK, identifies, qualifies, monitors and evaluates suppliers on behalf of major organisations worldwide. The company builds and supports buyer-supplier communities in many industry sectors, creating unique and powerful global networks. The Achilles Group’s services for sustainable procurement help create opportunities for business and reduce risk in the supply chain.