Greenhouse Gas Accreditation for Verification Bodies

What is accreditation?

Accreditation helps to ensure that Verification Bodies (firms) have the resources, organizational structures, systems, and expertise to provide high quality greenhouse gas verification services. The internationally accepted standard, ISO 14065 - Requirements for Greenhouse Gas Validation and Verification Bodies for Use in Accreditation or Other Forms of Recognition, allows bodies such as the Standards Council of Canada to assess and recognize the competence of Verification Bodies and to confirm that their performance continues to satisfy the accreditation requirements.

What are the benefits of accreditation?

Accreditation allows for the assessment of a Verification Body's competence and ensures that they meet acceptable standards for quality and consistency of their work. In particular, accreditation will ensure that the Verification Body has established and is following:

  • formal mechanisms to ensure that impartiality and independence are achieved;
  • formal mechanisms to assess the competence of all personnel involved in the verification activities;
  • formal mechanisms for assembling competent verification teams to ensure the successful delivery of every verification engagement;
  • processes for internal review of each verification; and
  • processes for ensuring quality and maintaining expected levels of service delivery and risk management.

How can my firm get accredited?

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) has launched the GHG Accreditation Program, which assesses and recognizes the competence of Verification Bodies. The Standards Council of Canada will evaluate the practices of Verification Bodies to ensure that they meet the requirements set out in the ISO Standard, ISO 14065:2007 – Requirements for GHG Validation and Verification Bodies for Use in Accreditation or Other Forms of Recognition. In particular, accreditation will confirm that Verification Bodies have the resources, organizational structures, systems and expertise to provide high quality and consistent verifications.

Verification Bodies wishing to become accredited should contact the Standards Council of Canada directly.