any other CERs, ERUs and RMUs that the Government has said cannot be used for compliance with the carbon price mechanism. Any other international units the Australian Government accepts for compliance under the carbon price mechanism. Other Units The following voluntary market standards are well established, and units issued and verified under these schemes are widely considered by voluntary carbon market participants to meet this Standard. Before electing to use any of the following units, parties should undertake their own due diligence assessment of the originating projects and underpinning methodologies. Voluntary Emissions Reductions (VERs) issued by the Gold Standard; and Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) issued by the Verified Carbon Standard. credits are issued under for reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD+) projects in developing countries, they must apply methodologies approved under the Standard. Project proponents wishing to have a methodology approved should submit it to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency for consideration. Carbon footprint calculation principles The carbon footprint of an organisation, product or should be calculated in accordance with the following principles, which are based on those outlined in the GHG Protocol and adopted under the NGER System. These principles are also consistent with those outlined under the other relevant Australian and international standards, including the AS ISO 14064 and ISO 14040 series. Relevance: Ensure the greenhouse gas inventory of an organisation, or the carbon life cycle assessment of a product, appropriately reflect the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to that organisation or product. Completeness: Account for and report all greenhouse gas emissions sources and activities within the defined boundary of the organisation or product. Disclose and justify all exclusions. Consistency: Use consistent methodologies to allow for meaningful comparisons of greenhouse gas emissions over time. Document any changes to the data, boundary, methods, or any other relevant factors. Transparency: Greenhouse gas information should be compiled, analysed and documented clearly and coherently so that auditors may evaluate its credibility. Disclose any relevant assumptions and make appropriate references to the calculation methodologies and data sources used. Accuracy: Ensure that the quantification of greenhouse gas emissions is unbiased (not systematically over or under actual emissions) and that uncertainties are
greenhouse gas emissions sources within the system boundary; greenhouse gas emission factors and calculation methodologies; life cycle inventory analysis; a base year and details of the organisation’s base year re-calculation policy; and the greenhouse gas emissions calculated as attributable to the life cycle of the product. Defining the including the system boundary The scope of the LCA report should include a description of: the product and its function; the functional unit; all assumptions made in the LCA; and the measurable parameters and system boundary of the product over its entire life The system boundary is best displayed as a flow chart (for example figure 2, ISO 14040:2006). An organisation should incorporate all relevant stages of the life cycle of the product in the LCA system boundary. Any decision to exclude life cycle stages, processes, inputs or outputs must be clearly stated, and the reasons for and implications of their exclusion justified. Setting a base year and base year re-calculation policy Organisations must set a base year to allow for their product’s emissions to be accurately compared over time, consistent with the steps outlined under 4.2.2. Chapter 14 of the GHG Protocol Product Standard provides additional guidance for product footprints: Setting Reduction Targets and Tracking Inventory Changes over Time. Emissions sources within the system boundary An organisation must consider all sources of greenhouse gas emissions within the system boundary of the product, including the relevant stages of the product’s life cycle. These may include: emissions resulting from the transformation, production, processing and acquisition of raw materials; emissions resulting from manufacture, production and final assembly;