Former Colombian President Iván Duque has been appointed to help advance a global carbon accounting framework being developed by the International Chamber of Commerce and Carbon Measures, as businesses and policymakers seek more consistent ways to measure emissions across products and supply chains.
Duque will chair a newly established advisory group supporting the Technical Expert Panel on Carbon Accounting. The technical panel, which includes specialists from academia, accounting, industry and civil society, is working on a globally applicable system for tracking product-level emissions.
“It is a great honour to join the ICC and Carbon Measures team and contribute to accelerating the advancement of the highest standards in climate accounting. This will contribute to developing more and better projects, while enhancing transparency in the mobilisation of capital toward decarbonisation,” said Mr Duque.
The advisory group will bring additional perspectives from policymakers, business leaders and other stakeholders while the technical panel retains independence over its conclusions.
Carbon accounting efforts gain momentum as global standards evolve
The initiative comes as international efforts to harmonize carbon measurement accelerate. In September, the GHG Protocol and ISO finalized a joint working group focused on developing an updated product-level greenhouse-gas accounting standard, underscoring the growing demand for comparable emissions data.
“Getting the technical work right is essential, but it’s only part of the equation. If we want to build a carbon accounting framework that works across real-world supply chains, we need input from businesses, policymakers and other leaders who understand how it needs to work on the ground,” said Amy Brachio, CEO of Carbon Measures.
ICC and Carbon Measures are pursuing a ledger-based approach designed to associate emissions with individual products as they move through supply chains. The ICC says the proposed system would complement existing frameworks and could help companies and policymakers use more timely, verifiable product-level information.
Duque served as Colombia’s president from 2018 to 2022. During his administration, Colombia committed to cutting greenhouse-gas emissions 51% by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, commitments later incorporated into the country’s 2021 Climate Action Law.
The appointment is also happening at a time of pressure for companies to understand and disclose emissions beyond their own operations, particularly those embedded in global supply chains. A more standardized product-level system could eventually affect how businesses compare products, manage suppliers and evaluate decarbonization investments.
Read more: Columbia University: Carbon Markets Are Entering a New Regulatory Era
