We want to say we cut emissions by 20 percent. What do we need to back it?
A base year and a current year calculated the same way, with the same boundary and factors, and a statement of whether the cut is absolute or per unit of output. If you sold a unit or changed method, recalculate the base year first. Keep the workings so anyone can repeat the 20 percent.
Checklist
- Base year figure and current year figure, same scopes.
- Same emission factors, or both years recalculated with new ones.
- Absolute or intensity named, with the unit.
- Main reasons for the change listed.
Common errors
- Comparing a year with Scope 3 to a year without.
- A cut that comes only from lower production, reported as efficiency.
- Netting carbon credits off the inventory.
What Senseible does here
Senseible keeps each figure behind a claim traceable to the invoices and bills it came from, so a reader can check the number rather than take the wording on trust.
Sources: GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, ISO 14021, Environmental labels and declarations: self-declared claims (iso.org)
Last reviewed 2026-10-23.