New ISO Standard to impact the food sector

As global leaders gather for Climate Week, a new development is set to redefine how the food industry approaches its sustainability goals. LRQA is urging food businesses to prepare for the introduction of ISO 14060, the world’s first international standard for net-zero emissions.

This new voluntary standard will establish a clear, globally accepted definition for what it means for an organisation to be “net-zero aligned.” By creating a common language, it aims to cut through the current confusion and inconsistency that plagues climate data reporting.

The move is seen as being beneficial to the food sector, whose supply chains are famously complex and often global, making them particularly challenging to track and manage from an emissions perspective.

A lack of standardised rules has meant that partners often use conflicting methods to measure and report their progress, leading to:

• Inaccurate data: inconsistent reporting makes it difficult to get a true picture of a company’s environmental impact
• Loss of credibility: with no uniform standard, it’s hard for companies to credibly demonstrate progress to regulators and consumer
• Increased greenwashing risk: the lack of a clear definition makes it easier for businesses to make misleading claims.

Dan Krekelberg, climate strategy director at EcoEngineers (an LRQA company) and a member of the ISO 14060 International Working Group, emphasises the standard’s potential to drive real change.

“Right now, organisations follow conflicting guidance or create their own targets,” he notes. “This makes it challenging to demonstrate progress on emissions reduction. ISO 14060 will change that, setting a globally agreed, consensus-built standard that brings clarity, consistency, and credibility to net zero at the organizational level.”

What the new standard will do
The proposed ISO 14060 standard will establish a clear framework for:

• Setting and measuring targets: it will define how to set and measure net-zero goals
• Alignment with global goals: it will align targets with the Paris Agreement’s objectives
• Verifiable claims: make net-zero claims verifiable and adaptable across all sectors.

This is a significant step forward, especially since a recent LRQA poll found that only one in five organisations believe they have the necessary data to report their progress credibly. The Net Zero Tracker also reported that only 4% of corporate targets currently meet minimum robustness criteria, such as having clear interim goals or third-party verification.

Preparing for the future of climate reporting
LRQA advises food businesses to start preparing for this new standard now. The most critical first step is to improve the quality of your emissions data. Without a solid data foundation, even the best-intentioned targets risk losing all credibility.

Here are five key areas to focus on:

1. Strengthen data quality: improve the accuracy and governance of your emissions data
2. Align disclosures: match existing climate reports with the standards of ISO 14064 and the GHG Protocol
3. Review current targets: evaluate your net-zero goals for transparency, scope, and measurability
4. Map mitigation pathways: create a clear plan to reach your goals based on science
5. Assign internal ownership: designate a team or individual to lead your net-zero strategy and verification processes.

As Krekelberg concludes: “With leading food and beverage brands aiming for net zero by 2050, the timing of the new standard is critical. The most important step organisations within the food sector can take now is to improve the quality of their emissions data.”