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GHG Protocol Releases New Land Sector and Removals Standard
Feb
The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol has launched its first ever Land Sector and Removals (LSR) Standard, providing companies with a unified framework to measure and report land-related greenhouse gas emissions, CO₂ removals, and associated impacts across their value chains.
The Standard also includes guidance for accounting for technological CO₂ removals, such as direct air capture and geologic storage.
Set to take effect on 1st January 2027, the LSR Standard is the result of a 5-year global development process involving more than 300 external reviewers.
An Executive Summary and overview article are now available, with full Guidance to be published in Q2 2026. Additional supporting materials will be released throughout the year.
The Standard enables companies to integrate land use, land management, biogenic products, and CO₂ removal activities into their GHG inventories and mitigation strategies, supporting clearer target setting and performance tracking.
Notably, forest carbon accounting is not included in this version. Due to ongoing scientific and feasibility debates, the GHG Protocol will issue a Request for Information to shape a future update. Until then, companies reporting forest carbon impacts are encouraged to be transparent about the methodologies they use.
Circular Ecology welcome this important development in the world of carbon accounting and recognises its potential to reinforce transparency and consistency across the sector.
Read the latest update from the GHG Protocol here.
Related Resource: Understanding the GHG Protocol
