Estimating and Reporting the Comparative Emissions Impacts of Products

The World Resources Institute (WRI) introduces a framework to standardize how companies report the comparative emissions impacts of their products. The paper emphasizes the need for credibility and consistency in claims, particularly regarding 'avoided emissions', and recommends the use of 'consequential' methods to measure system-wide emission changes for public claims involving market effects.

• The WRI developed a neutral framework to address methodological inconsistencies in how companies estimate and disclose the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions impact of goods or services compared to a scenario where the product does not exist.
• For public claims regarding comparative emissions impacts that may involve market effects, the document recommends using 'consequential' methods to measure total, system-wide changes in emissions, though 'attributional' methods may serve as interim measures when data 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} }