ERA launches Carbon Reporting Guidance

The European Rental Association (ERA) has today released comprehensive sectoral guidance for rental companies on reporting corporate carbon emissions across Scopes 1, 2, and 3.

This document provides a standardised framework for establishing an equipment rental company’s carbon footprint.

As transparency and sustainability targets grow more critical, measuring and reporting carbon emissions have become key priorities.

Compliance with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive is imminent for large European firms and will soon be a focus for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Tailoring the GHG Protocol for the Rental Industry

Steered by the ERA Sustainability Committee and developed by KPMG, the ERA guidance provides a step-by-step methodology for calculating CO2 emissions in Scopes 1, 2, and 3.

This framework is tailored to the rental industry’s unique value chain and aligns with the GHG Protocol to ensure compliance. The report offers actionable steps, detailed guidance, data sources, and specific formulas for GHG emission calculations.

The guidance covers direct emissions (Scope 1), indirect emissions from purchased energy (Scope 2), and all relevant categories of Scope 3, focusing on significant emission sources for the rental industry. It includes tailored calculation formulas to quantify emissions while allowing flexibility to adapt to data availability.

The Equipment Database – A Common and Consistent Industry Resource

The second pillar of the ERA’s project introduces the ERA rental equipment benchmark. Accurate emission estimation often faces challenges due to a lack of access to specific equipment data.

This database serves as a reference, utilising industry-specific data from rental companies, OEMs, and lifecycle assessments. It helps rental companies respond to client inquiries about project-specific emissions and ensures consistency across the industry.

By adopting standardised methodologies and the equipment database, the industry can progress toward sustainability goals.

The guidance provides clear methods for measuring and reporting emissions, ensuring consistency and comparability. It is accessible to all rental companies, regardless of size or experience with carbon accounting.

For more information, please contact [email protected].