Corporate carbon footprint verification
Send an enquiry →Under ISO 14064-3, in line with the GHG Protocol
Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions: the full inventory or selected scopes
Result: a verification statement for customers, banks, CDP, SBTi and ESG reports
An independent third party. Usual time: 2–6 weeks
Talk to us about verifying your carbon footprint.
What is corporate carbon footprint verification?
Carbon footprint verification is a check by an independent third party. It confirms that your greenhouse gas statement (your GHG inventory) follows the agreed criteria: ISO 14064-1 or the GHG Protocol. We work under ISO 14064-3. This standard sets the rules for the verifier, the plan, the evidence and the conclusion. A verified inventory makes your data more credible to your managers, partners, lenders and ESG report readers.
Verifying is not the same as calculating. To calculate a footprint, you list your emission sources and convert them to tonnes of CO₂e. To verify it, an outside party checks that this list is complete, correct and in line with the criteria.
Who needs carbon footprint verification?
It matters most for:
companies that report climate data under ESRS E1 (CSRD) and need reliable GHG data. Note that GHG verification under ISO 14064-3 is a separate service from assurance of the whole sustainability statement,
suppliers to global customers who want emissions data checked by a third party,
companies that report to CDP, are rated by EcoVadis, submit targets to SBTi or seek climate-linked loans, if the programme or lender expects it,
companies that want to base their reduction plans and climate claims on data checked by an outside party.
Before we take the job, we agree how you will use the result. We also check what the data user needs: the standard, the level of assurance, the scope and the status of the verification body. So you know from the start if our work fits your needs.
How does carbon footprint verification work?
We work as auditors under ISO 14064-3, in seven steps from taking the job to issuing the statement:
Job check and impartiality
We check that we can take the job. We took no part in the calculations and have no conflict of interest. Our team has the right skills for your sector and scope. We agree who will use the result and what they need.
Objective, scope, criteria and level of assurance
We agree the objective, the boundaries, the reporting period and the criteria (ISO 14064-1 or the GHG Protocol). We also agree the level of assurance: limited or reasonable. We write all this in the verification plan.
Risk and materiality
We find where errors are most likely and matter most, for example large Scope 3 categories or estimated data. We set the materiality threshold for the whole inventory and for each scope.
Data, evidence and samples
We trace selected values from the report back to source documents: invoices, meter readings, summaries and contracts. We check emission factors, formulas, totals and the audit trail. The risk check sets the sample size.
Questions and corrections
We send you a list of findings and questions. You explain or correct the data. We then judge if any remaining gaps are material to the conclusion.
Independent review
Before we issue the statement, a person who took no part in the work reviews the files and the conclusion. Only after their approval do we sign the statement.
Verification statement
We issue the verification statement at the end of a successful process.
We can check your full inventory: direct emissions (Scope 1), indirect emissions from energy (Scope 2) and value chain emissions (Scope 3). We can also check only selected scopes or categories. The statement always sets out the scope, so the reader knows exactly what we checked.
Levels of assurance
ISO 14064-3 has two levels of assurance. They differ in the type of evidence, the depth of the work and the form of the conclusion, not in “quality”. We always act as an independent third party.
Limited assurance
The verifier relies mainly on data analysis, questions and a review of documents, with few detailed tests. The conclusion is negative in form: “nothing has come to our attention that the GHG statement does not meet the criteria”.
Reasonable assurance
The verifier collects more evidence: larger samples, tests of internal controls and detailed tests of source data. The conclusion is positive in form: “the GHG statement meets the criteria in all material respects”. It takes more work on both sides.
Which level should you choose?
The level of assurance is not a choice between a “better” and a “worse” service. The intended user of the result decides: a reporting programme, a customer, a bank or a regulator. By default, we propose limited assurance. If the user sets no level, we agree it with you before we start.
How do we ensure impartiality?
A verifier is only worth something if it is independent of what it checks. So at EXERGY, calculating and verifying a carbon footprint are two separate services, and we check every job for impartiality.
Rules for every job
We do not verify work by EXERGY or related parties. We do not check reports, analyses or statements that EXERGY prepared or helped with. In that case, we tell you to find another verifier.
Cooling-off period after consulting. People who advised on a statement take no part in checking it for at least two years.
No link to consulting. We do not sell verification in a package with consulting. We never suggest that our consulting makes it easier or cheaper.
Fees do not depend on the result. The price is fixed. It does not depend on the type of statement or on whether we issue one.
Risk check before every job. We find and record threats to impartiality. We turn down jobs where we cannot be impartial.
Separate roles. The review before the statement is done by a person who took no part in the work or its planning. Every team member signs a no-conflict-of-interest declaration for each job.
Right to complain and appeal. Every client can appeal against a decision, and anyone concerned can file a complaint, with no harm to them.
What exactly do we check?
The consolidation approach (operational control, financial control or equity share) and its use for all entities.
Which sources and categories are in the inventory and which are left out. We check that exclusions are justified and disclosed.
Whether the inventory covers all installations, vehicles, refrigerants, processes and sites.
Both methods are correct, contracts such as guarantees of origin and PPAs are sound, and all follows the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance.
Whether the check of all 15 categories is documented and exclusions are justified.
Source, year, units, GWP set (for example AR5 or AR6) and fit with the activity data.
The share of measured and estimated data, the quality of secondary sources and the stated uncertainty.
Your base year recalculation policy and how you use it after mergers, takeovers and method changes.
Data from many sites and systems: complete, with no double counting and with the same units.
We redo the calculations for selected items, from source data to the result in tCO₂e.
Whether each value in the inventory leads back to a source document and a responsible person.
Whether the report shows the assumptions, limits and changes since the last period.
What data do we need?
What are the benefits of carbon footprint verification?
A verified carbon footprint has real business value:
Credibility and trust
Customers and partners get emissions data checked by a third party under ISO 14064-3, with a clear scope and level of assurance.
Ready for ESG reports
Verified data can support CDP, EcoVadis and ESG reports. Before we start, we confirm what each data user needs.
A basis for your reduction plan
Reliable emissions data helps you improve your plan to cut CO₂ and choose actions that work.
An edge in the supply chain
You can show the statement to a customer who asks for third-party data, with no need to explain your method again.
Lower risk
An outside check of your data lowers the risk of greenwashing claims and makes your climate messages stronger.
Why verify your carbon footprint with EXERGY?
Under ISO 14064-3
Criteria: ISO 14064-1 or the GHG Protocol. You can use the statement for CDP, SBTi target validation and sustainability reports, within the scope it covers.
Strong track record
We have worked on carbon footprints since 2017, for companies in chemicals, food, packaging, services and construction. Many specialists on the market trained with us.
On time
88% of projects finished ahead of schedule (2025 data).
Meet the team
Experienced EXERGY specialists run every project with our own proven methods. We do not give consulting work to subcontractors. We have worked in this field since 2017.
Meet the team →How do we work with you?
First call
You talk to our specialist. We agree who will use the result and what they need. We set the objective, scope, criteria and level of assurance, and the list of documents. We confirm there is no conflict of interest.
Proposal
Within one working day, we send you a proposal with the scope, schedule and price.
Checking the calculations
We follow the verification plan. We assess risk and materiality, sample source data and test the calculations and the audit trail. You get a list of findings to explain or correct.
Verification statement
After the independent review, we issue the verification statement. It is also the verification report, with the conclusion, findings and advice.
Let's talk about verifying your company's carbon footprint
Do you need an independent check of your emissions under ISO 14064-3, for a customer, a bank, CDP, EcoVadis or ESG reports?
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See also
Corporate carbon footprint – Scope 1, 2 and 3
A full emissions inventory of your company under the GHG Protocol.
Product carbon footprint verification
An independent check of your product footprint under ISO 14067.
CDP reporting
Verified data can support your CDP score, depending on the programme rules.