Reduction in energy requirements of products and services (G4-EN7) Methodology

In 2018, the GRI G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines were superseded by the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards (GRI standards). This is the methodology for G4-EN7 which has been superseded by GRI 302-5 - the current GRI 302-5 metric can be found here.

About

This metric is based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Guidelines. It covers one of the requirements of Indicator G4-EN7 - 'Reductions in energy requirements of products and services'.

Energy consumption is a major contributor to climate change since the burning of non-renewable fuels generates greenhouse gases (GHGs) and causes other environmental impacts. Using energy more efficiently is essential to combating climate change. Providing energy efficient products and services is an important part of product stewardship initiatives.

Methodology

To calculate the reduction in energy requirements of products and services - G4-EN7-a:

Use-oriented figures include, for example, the energy requirements of a car or a computer.
Consumption patterns include, for example, 10% less energy use per 100 km travelled or per time unit (hour, average working day).
Where available, refer to industry use standards to obtain this information (such as fuel consumption of cars for 100 km at 90 km/h).
This metric is looking for the reduction in energy consumption of products/services in relation to the previous year. If energy consumption actually increased, put a + before the value.

Reporting on this Indicator should include the following contextual information as a comment to the metric value:

G4-EN7-b: The basis for calculating reductions in energy consumption such as base year or baseline, and the rationale for choosing it.
G4-EN7-c: Standards, methodologies, and assumptions used.

For Wikirate Researchers:

Please see this page for guidelines on how to research values for GRI-based metrics.