Unipart’s carbon baseline year Recalculation Policy 2024
Introduction
In alignment with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol and Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) guidance, to consistently track emissions over time, companies shall recalculate base-year emissions when significant changes in company structure or calculation methodology occur. Doing so upholds the integrity and relevance of the data over time.
Subject to a significance threshold, the GHG Protocol expects a company to recalculate base-year emissions when the following changes occur and have a significant impact on the inventory:
- Structural changes in the reporting organisation that have a significant impact on the company’s base year emissions. A structural change involves the transfer of ownership or control of emissions-generating activities or operations from one company to another. While a single structural change might not have a significant impact on the base year emissions, the cumulative effect of a number of minor structural changes can result in a significant impact.
- Changes in calculation methodology or improvements in the accuracy of emission factors or activity data that result in a significant impact on the base year emissions data.
- Discovery of significant errors, or a number of cumulative errors, that are collectively significant.
Significance threshold and approach to recalculation
This policy currently refers to a fixed target baseline year of 2021 against Unipart’s Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) commitments of Net Zero for Scope 1 and 2 by 2030 and Net Zero for Scope 3 by 2040. A rolling base year may be considered for targets in the future if maintaining reliable and verifiable data for a fixed target year becomes challenging due to business changes. The policy will be revised over time in accordance with developments in guidance by the GHG Protocol and the SBTi.
If structural, methodological or data errors result in a total carbon footprint emissions change of 5% or more, then the base-year emissions data may be recalculated and restated. Unipart may also choose to recalculate base-year emissions for changes less than 5%, particularly where significant structural changes occur. Unipart will restate updated base-year emissions and the impact this has on subsequent years in its latest sustainability report or greenhouse gas emissions publication.
January 2024