Estimating and Reporting the Comparative Emissions Impacts of Products

This research paper by the World Resources Institute (WRI) proposes a neutral framework for companies to estimate and disclose the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions impacts of products relative to a baseline where the product does not exist. It aims to harmonize reporting practices for both positive impacts, often termed "avoided emissions," and potential negative impacts to improve the credibility of corporate claims.

• WRI has developed a neutral framework designed to help companies estimate and disclose the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions impact of goods or services by comparing them to a scenario where the product does not exist, covering both positive and negative differences.
• The paper recommends that companies use "consequential" methods to measure total, system-wide emission changes for public claims involving market effects, though "attributional" methods may serve as interim measures when data for consequential methods is limited.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Estimating and Reporting the Comparative Emissions Impacts of Products. https://www.wri.org/research/estimating-and-reporting-comparative-emissions-impacts-products

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Estimating and Reporting the Comparative Emissions Impacts of Products. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/estimating-and-reporting-comparative-emissions-impacts-products.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Estimating and Reporting the Comparative Emissions Impacts of Products |url=https://www.wri.org/research/estimating-and-reporting-comparative-emissions-impacts-products |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendestimating, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Estimating and Reporting the Comparative Emissions Impacts of Products}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/estimating-and-reporting-comparative-emissions-impacts-products}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }