This guidance is designed to support the Value Chains Interventions Guidance, with specific focus on how to select and apply methods for the quantification of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC). SOC represents one of the most significant opportunities to mitigate climate change, particularly through application in company supply chain programmes. This Guidance provides a step-wise approach to SOC measurement and reporting in the context of the Interventions Guidance, in the context of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. The Guidance has been drafted by Danone, Gold Standard, Livelihoods Funds, Mars, TREES Consulting and UNIQUE forestry and land use GmbH. It has been supported and overseen by an Expert Working Group, including soil scientists, practitioners and companies.
Questions:
1. Does the Guidance provide a clear and pragmatic approach to selecting SOC quantification and reporting methods?
2. While the Guidance cannot recommend a specific quantification method, would a recognition or benchmarking by Gold Standard be useful to reporting companies?
3. How should companies approach the rapidly evolving science of SOC and what risks may be present in doing so?
4. What further Guidance would you like to see developed, either within this document or as a separate piece of work?