The Global GHG Accounting and Reporting Standard (“Standard”), governed by the PCAF Global Core Team, is a set of guidelines to help financial institutions measure and report greenhouse gas emissions associated with their financial activities. The Standard is comprised of parts A, B, and C.
PCAF has developed supplemental guidance to Part A on financed avoided emissions and forward-looking metrics. This optional guidance offers financial institutions a structured approach to estimate and disclose potential future climate benefits. While these metrics are not part of the core financed emissions inventory, they may be reported separately to enhance transparency and alignment with emerging sustainability frameworks.
The previous versions of the Global GHG Accounting and Reporting Standard are available for reference: Part A – Financed emissions 2nd edition (2022), Part A – Financed emissions 1st edition (2019)
Built on GHG Protocol
The first edition of this Financed Emissions Standard (November 2020) has been reviewed by the GHG Protocol and is in conformance with the requirements set forth in the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard, for Category 15 investment activities. The Built on GHG Protocol mark was subsequently granted to the following six asset classes: Listed Equity and Corporate Bonds, Business Loans and Unlisted Equity, Project Finance, Commercial Real Estate, Mortgages, and Motor Vehicle Loans. As the GHG Protocol has since closed its Built on GHG Protocol review service, the additions to the second edition of the Financed Emissions Standard (December 2023), as well as all new methodologies and guidance introduced in the December 2025 edition, have not yet been reviewed by the GHG Protocol.
The PCAF Disclosure Checklist
As part of PCAF’s efforts to drive standardization and quality of GHG emissions reporting, the Technical Assistance team has developed a disclosure checklist to support financial institutions to produce PCAF-aligned disclosures.
From the start of 2025, the PCAF Secretariat will use this checklist in the process of reviewing new disclosures before uploading them to this website, offering greater credibility to both PCAF and our Signatories whilst growing the value-add of having disclosures listed here.
The Disclosure Checklist for Part A Financed Emissions as well as a PCAF Disclosure FAQ are available for download here.
The previous version of Part C of the Global GHG Accounting and Reporting Standard is available for reference: Part C – Insurance Associated emissions 1st edition (2022)
Built on GHG Protocol
Download and read the Frequently Asked Questions about Insurance-Associated Emissions (pdf).
Download and consult the PCAF personal motor industry attribution factor approach (pdf) for more information on the (Industry) attribution factor.
