Glossary of terms related to
carbon footprint measurement

The EU ETS is the European Union's main carbon-pricing instrument, a cap-and-trade system covering power, industry, aviation and, since 2024, maritime transport.

The EU Water Framework Directive sets a common framework for protecting Europe's rivers, lakes, groundwater and coastal waters, aiming for good ecological and chemical status through river-basin planning.

The event carbon footprint measures the emissions generated by a conference, festival or corporate meeting. We explain its sources and how to reduce them.

What Extended Producer Responsibility is, how it is regulated in the EU and Spain, and how it connects to the circular economy and to reducing the carbon footprint of products.

Technical Resolution 60, standards applicable to the preparation of sustainability information, is the FACPCE standard that sets which frameworks are acceptable in Argentina for preparing a sustainability report: the GRI Standards or the ISSB's IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards. It fully replaces RT 36 on social reporting. Professional councils publish its effective date as financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2027, and each provincial council approves it and brings it into force in its own jurisdiction.

FASB sets US GAAP. It does not set emissions disclosure rules, but its work on environmental credits is relevant to companies pursuing climate goals.

Fast fashion is a rapid, low-cost clothing model with a heavy environmental footprint. A look at its emissions, water and waste impacts, the new EU rules and how to do better.

Greenhouse gas emissions associated with a financial institution's loans and investments, falling under Scope 3 and measured with the PCAF standard.

Fit for 55 is the EU's package of climate laws designed to deliver at least a 55% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and keep the bloc on track for climate neutrality by 2050.

Science Based Targets initiative guidance for setting science-based targets in agriculture, food and forest products, covering land emissions, removals and zero deforestation.

Fugitive emissions are unintended releases of greenhouse gases, such as refrigerant or natural gas leaks, accounted for under Scope 1 of the GHG Protocol.

General Environment Law 25,675 is the umbrella law of Argentine environmental law. Passed on 6 November 2002, it sets the minimum standards for sustainable environmental management, establishes ten environmental policy principles in article 4, mandates environmental impact assessment in articles 11 to 13, requires anyone carrying out activities that are risky for the environment to take out environmental insurance under article 22, and governs collective environmental damage in articles 27 to 33.

The General Law on Sustainable Forestry Development (LGDFS), in force since 2018, regulates the management, conservation and restoration of Mexico's forest ecosystems.

The GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard is the WRI/WBCSD methodology for measuring and reporting the carbon footprint of products across their full life cycle.

GLCC refers to the broad push for low-carbon chemicals: reducing the chemical sector's emissions through cleaner processes, renewable energy, circularity and feedstock substitution. We explain the concept and the real initiatives driving it.

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the independent organisation behind the most widely used global standards for sustainability reporting.

Global warming is the sustained increase in the planet's average temperature driven by human greenhouse gas emissions. We explain its causes, effects and how to act.

GWP is the factor that converts each greenhouse gas into CO₂ equivalent. We explain the IPCC AR6 values and how to use them in inventories, EPDs and CBAM reports.

What governance means as the 'G' pillar of ESG, why board oversight and accountability matter for sustainability, and how good governance underpins reliable carbon and ESG reporting.

Governance is the 'G' of ESG criteria: the set of structures, policies and controls with which a company directs its sustainability. Good governance is the foundation for measuring the carbon footprint and complying with the CSRD.

The Green Asset Ratio (GAR) is the regulatory KPI that shows what proportion of an EU bank's assets finance Taxonomy-aligned, environmentally sustainable activities.

Green bonds are fixed-income instruments that raise capital exclusively for environmentally beneficial projects, backed by standards such as the ICMA Green Bond Principles and the EU Green Bond Standard.

Green finance mobilises public and private capital for environmentally beneficial projects, using instruments such as green bonds, sustainability-linked loans and a growing EU rulebook.

The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that keeps Earth warm enough for life, but human emissions have intensified it and are driving climate change.

Greenhouse gases (GHG) trap heat in the atmosphere and, in excess, accelerate climate change. We explain what they are, their global warming potential according to the IPCC and how to measure them.

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) absorb infrared radiation and cause the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases are the main human-driven contributors to climate change.

Emission reduction covers the measures organisations and governments take to cut greenhouse gases. A practical guide to why it matters, how to measure it and the main strategies.

The GHG Protocol is the most widely used framework for corporate greenhouse gas accounting, organising emissions into Scope 1, 2 and 3 across the value chain.

Hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water with renewable electricity, with near-zero direct emissions, key to decarbonising industry and heavy transport.

Green Public Procurement is the practice of public authorities buying goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact, increasingly through mandatory criteria.

The Green-to-Blue Ratio shows how much a crop or process depends on rainfall versus extracted water; a higher value means less pressure on rivers and aquifers.

Greenwashing means projecting an eco-friendly image without the substance to back it. A guide to its forms, how to detect it, and the EU rules now closing in on misleading claims.

The green water footprint measures the rainwater held in the soil and used by crops and vegetation through evapotranspiration, the main form of water consumption in rainfed agriculture.

What the grey water footprint is, the standard equation used to calculate it, the pollutants it covers, and how it complements the blue and green water footprints.

The GRI Standards are a modular framework from the Global Reporting Initiative for disclosing economic, environmental and social impacts.

An electronic certificate proving that a unit of energy, usually 1 MWh, was produced from renewable sources and that the consumer can claim as renewable consumption.

Hazardous municipal waste covers everyday items (batteries, used oils, solvents, fluorescent tubes, e-waste) that need separate collection at civic amenity sites and treatment by authorised managers.

Healthcare waste ranges from general refuse to infectious, anatomical and cytotoxic material. A guide to its classification, the rules that govern it and how it is treated safely.

HuellaChile is the official programme of Chile's Ministry of the Environment for quantifying, reporting and managing greenhouse gases. It is voluntary and free for any public or private organisation in the country, and recognises performance through four seals: quantification, reduction, neutralisation and excellence.

Huella de Carbono Perú is the Peruvian Ministry of the Environment's free, voluntary digital tool for public and private organisations to measure, verify and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It recognises progress through four levels: Measurement, Verification, Reduction and Reduction+.

IFRS S1 is the first standard issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), setting general requirements for disclosing sustainability-related financial information.

IFRS S2 is the international standard, issued by the ISSB, for disclosing climate-related risks and opportunities, effective for reporting periods from 2024.

Impact assessment under the CSRD requires in-scope companies to disclose their environmental, social and governance impacts using double materiality, with greenhouse gas emissions as a core data point.

Mexico's framework climate law, in force since 2012, that sets out responsibilities, emission reduction goals and adaptation and mitigation strategies across all levels of government.

The LGEEPA is Mexico's principal environmental framework law, governing ecosystem protection, environmental impact assessment and pollution control.

PROFEPA is Mexico's federal environmental enforcement agency, part of SEMARNAT, responsible for inspecting, sanctioning and certifying compliance with environmental law.

Global resilience is the ability of human, ecological and technological systems to anticipate, absorb, adapt to and transform in response to systemic crises such as climate change, pandemics or economic shocks.

Hazardous waste explained: the 15 EU hazard properties (HP), European Waste List codes, the Spanish legal framework, the risks of poor management and companies' obligations.