ERA to develop carbon reporting guidance

Photo: ERA

The European Rental Association (ERA) is to develop a carbon reporting guidance specifically designed for the equipment rental industry.

ERA said the guidance will include essential GHG protocol categories crucial for rentals, a methodology for computing GHG emissions across scopes 1, 2 and particularly 3 and will provide a standard set of values, incorporating rental sector-specific activity data and relevant emission factors.

Within this framework, the guidance will look into key operational aspects unique to equipment rentals, including methodologies for equipment usage, use of sold products and equipment production.

It will also evaluate emissions linked to equipment production, maintenance and repairs, transportation, and waste disposal, aiming to comprehensively measure the environmental impact throughout the equipment’s lifecycle.

Michel Petitjean, secretary general of ERA, said, “There is currently no agreed methodology available for calculating the carbon footprint of equipment ‎rental companies, who are today reporting on their carbon footprint in a way that is not harmonised ‎and, therefore, not comparable between different companies. ‎‎

“With this in mind, and in the context of the increasing legal and other pressures for companies to report on their sustainability performance, it is important to define a reference framework for the entire rental sector. This will not only be of benefit to the European industry, but will also set an example for equipment ‎rental companies worldwide.‎”

ERA said the guidance, which will be developed in collaboration with global professional services provider KPMG, will launch in the middle of 2024 and be led by the ERA Sustainability Committee .