A greenhouse gas inventory is the systematic identification, calculation and reporting of the greenhouse gas emissions an organization produces in a given period. ISO 14064-1 defines the requirements for this work.
The reliability of the inventory depends on boundary decisions before it depends on the calculation method: which legal entities and facilities will be included, which activities will be covered and which year will be taken as the base year. These decisions are the basis for year-on-year comparison, and if they are changed later, recalculation is required.
The inventory is not a one-off calculation but a repeatable process. When data ownership is not defined, it is rebuilt from scratch every year and loses its managerial value.
Related terms: Scope 3 Emissions · Base Year · Emission Factor · Verification
Related training: Corporate Carbon Footprint — ISO 14064-1