REFERENCE TO
Validated / Verified Statements and Use of Marks
Validation and verification of environmental information statements can result in responsible parties making reference to the findings, conclusions, reports and opinions expressed by Standard Carbon. Standard Carbon has the responsibility to establish rules governing references made by responsible parties to validation/verification and governing the use of marks.
General
Standard Carbon requires responsible parties to distinguish between “short-form” and “long-form” references to validated or verified environmental information statements. Standard Carbon requires that any use of a short form reference includes or makes reference to a long-form reference.
Note: “Include” means that the long-form reference is provided in proximity to the short-form reference in the same medium. “Make reference to” means that a reference to the location of the long-form reference in another medium, (e.g. website) is provided in proximity to the short-form reference.
Acceptable references for validated or verified environmental information statements are provided in the table below
| Subject matter is | Short form | Long Form |
| Historical in nature* | “Verified at the reasonable level of assurance” | “In its opinion dated 20xx-xx-xx, [name of body]* concluded with reasonable assurance that the data and information in our statement were fairly stated.” |
| Historical in nature* | “Verified at the limited level of assurance” | “In its opinion dated 20xx-xx-xx, [name of body]** found no evidence to indicate that the data and information our statement were not fairly stated.” |
| Projected or forecast | “Validated” | “In its opinion dated 20xx-xx-xx, [name of body]** stated that it had not found any evidence to indicate that the assumptions, methods and limitations that we cited in our statement did not provide a reasonable basis for our projections or forecasts.” |
* Historical data and information submitted for verification may be monitored, estimated or modelled.
** When a responsible party refers to a statement as “verified”, the long-form reference applies to any reference implying verification, e.g. by using words such as “verified”, “third-party verified” or “verified by [name of body].”
Where Standard Carbon has been involved in a mixed engagement of verification and Agreed Upon Procedures (AUP), the following rules apply:
| Type of reference | Short Form | Long form |
| Functional or declared units (mixed engagement) | “Confirmed” | “The upstream and the core data and information in our statement were verified and the downstream data and information were tested by AUP by [name of body]*, which did not find any evidence to indicate that our statement was not fairly stated. The verification opinion of the [name of body]* and the report of factual findings were issued on 20xx-xx-xx.” |
* When a responsible party refers to a subject matter as “verified”, the long-form reference applies to any reference implying verification, e.g. by using words such as “verifier”, “third-party verifier” or “[name of body]”.
Rules governing the use of Standard Carbon marks, including but not limited to, name, logo, icons, reports, or statements:
The responsible party is not permitted to use marks to imply that statements not subject to validation or verification have been validated or verified. For example, use of Standard Carbon’s mark may include affixing it in a responsible party’s environmental information report next to a description of verified or validated environmental information. The responsibly party is not permitted to use Standard Carbon’s mark on environmental information statements which contain information that has not been validated or verified. Examples of the acceptable and unacceptable use of marks is illustrated in this table:
Example of an acceptable use of a mark
| [Name of body’s mark] | “Our inventory of greenhouse gas data and information was verified by [name of body].” “In its opinion dated 20xx-xx-xx, [name of body] concluded [with reasonable assurance] that the data and information in our statement were fairly stated.” |
Example of an acceptable use of a mark
| [Name of body’s mark] | “Our inventory of greenhouse gas data and information demonstrated that [responsible part name] had achieved its sustainability goals and had realized science -based targets that put us on a path to transitioning to low carbon economy in alignment with the objectives of the Paris agreement.” |
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