With the increasing priority of decarbonization and the associated emission reduction instruments, the need for emission data and the obligation for cross-sectoral emission reporting has increased. In this context, the administrative burden of collecting, processing and providing CO2 information is multiplying as national and European regulations evolve. The expansion of reporting requirements (e.g., related to value chain due diligence and the introduction of the Taxonomy Regulation), new CO2 pricing mechanisms (e.g., through the EU ETS II and CBAM), and other initiatives to collect CO2 information (e.g., a digital product passport) are some of the reasons for this increased administrative burden. However, the current lack of granularity in the collected CO2 emissions data prevents CO2 emissions from being passed on according to their actual origin and use in the value chain and from being clearly allocated to specific emission reduction measures and CO2 budgets. Without clear allocation, however, double counting of emissions cannot be prevented and effective monitoring of economic processes according to CO2 targets is not possible. Transparent, reliable and verifiable emissions data in the form of digital CO2 proofs offer a solution.
In this context, this study highlights the challenges of providing CO2 information from the business perspective. Based on expert interviews with various industries, including the automotive industry, the construction industry and the energy industry, the study analyzes the potential of digital CO2 proofs of origin and use and derives recommendations for action for climate policy.
Our study, together with Fraunhofer-FIT, "Toward net 0: Digital CO2 proofs for the sustainable transformation of the European economy" presents hurdles and digital solutions as well as conclusions for policy makers based on expert interviews from different industries.
You can download the full study here.
You can also find our study at the website of the University of Bayreuth here.
This study can also be found under the following DOI.