What does the GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals Standard change for agri exporters?
It makes land emissions, such as land use change and soil carbon loss, part of a company's inventory where land is in its operations or supply chain, and lets removals be reported only with traceability, monitoring and a plan for reversals. Tea, coffee, spice and cashew exporters will be asked for sourcing data, not just factory bills.
Status and timing
The GHG Protocol published the Land Sector and Removals Standard in January 2026, with version 1.1 in June 2026, effective from 1 January 2027. It supplements the Corporate and Scope 3 Standards. Buyers with SBTi FLAG targets already ask for land data under the SBTi FLAG Guidance of 2022, so requests may come before 2027.
What changes for an estate owner
- Land you own or manage, such as a tea or coffee estate, brings land emissions into Scope 1: land use change, soil carbon loss, and emissions from fertiliser and other land management.
- Carbon taken up by shade trees, hedgerows or soil can be reported as removals, kept separate from emissions, not netted inside the total.
- Removals need ongoing monitoring of the stored carbon, and any later loss, such as trees cut, is reported as a reversal.
What changes for a processor or trader
- Green leaf, raw nuts, cherry coffee or spices you buy carry land emissions in Scope 3 Category 1.
- Land use change is assessed over 20 years. If you can trace to the farm, use direct land use change; if you know only the region or country, use a statistical estimate.
- Claiming removals from suppliers' land needs traceability to that land and proof the carbon stays stored. A general sourcing claim is not enough.
What to start collecting
- Supplier lists by village, district or estate, with the quantities bought from each.
- Whether each estate or plot was converted from forest or other land in the last 20 years.
- Fertiliser use per hectare, where suppliers keep it.
- Factory fuel and electricity per kg of product, which most exporters can already show from bills.
What Senseible does here
Senseible calculates the processing part, factory fuel and electricity, from bills and keeps purchase invoices for raw produce in the Scope 3 evidence trail. Land emissions and removals are calculated from farm and sourcing data using the Standard's methods.
Sources: GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals Standard v1.1 (June 2026, effective 1 January 2027), SBTi Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) Guidance (2022), GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard (2011)
Last reviewed 2026-10-18. Checked October 2026: Land Sector and Removals Standard v1.1, effective 1 January 2027; check for later versions and SBTi FLAG updates.