Services

Futurepast helps organizations manage climate change risks and opportunities. We offer four categories of service:

  • Consulting to management on carbon risk management, including mitigation, disclosure and regulatory compliance;
  • Accounting for greenhouse gas emissions and emission reductions in GHG projects, in products, and in organizations
  • Verifying greenhouse gas accounts, reports and claims, and
  • Integrating greenhouse gas management into an organization’s overall management system.

    • Greenhouse Gas Consulting

    Futurepast assists organization to identify and address strategic issues related to climate change.

    Carbon Risk Management
    Climate change presents organization with a number of risks, including direct and indirect impacts from the effects of climate change, regulatory risks, changes in consumer preferences, and reputational risk. Organizations may seek to mitigate carbon risks through energy efficiency improvements, the acquisition and trading of carbon financial instruments, and new product and service development.

    Disclosure
    Futurepast assists organizations with the decision on what to disclose and how to disclose greenhouse gas information. Some requests for disclosure are voluntary, such as through the Carbon Disclosure Project or The Climate Registry. Other disclosures are mandated, such as reports to the US Environmental Protection Agency or filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Organizations should ensure that their public and regulatory disclosure strategies are consistent, coordinated and backed up by sound accounting evidence.

    Environmental Claims
    With increased consumer interest in greenhouse gas information and climate change mitigation, companies are increasingly asked to quantify greenhouse gas emissions applicable to particular products or services. We use the tools of life cycle assessment to develop a “carbon footprint” that can withstand both public and regulatory scrutiny.

    Greenhouse Gas Accounting

    Futurepast assists organizations to establish and report information from greenhouse gas inventories, for either internal management purposes or for purposes of public, regulatory or supplier disclosure. We assist in the development of internal tracking tools or in the implementation of enterprise solutions for tracking greenhouse gas information.

    Project Quantification, Monitoring and Reporting
    Futurepast assists organizations meet requirements of emission reduction project protocols such as those published by the Climate Action Reserve or the Voluntary Carbon Standard. Futurepast works primarily in the forestry and methane management sectors. We work as consultants to the owners of rights to greenhouse gas emission reductions and seek assurance that all aspects of the project are carried out in accordance with applicable protocol requirements.

    Carbon Footprint of Products
    Consumers and suppliers increasingly want to know what the carbon “footprint” is of the products and services they consume. Carbon footprints quantify greenhouse gas emissions that are associated with a process, a system of processes or a product system for the purpose of indicating their contribution to climate change. For example, a food manufacturer may make an environmental claim that greenhouse gas emissions associated with a processed food product (including its associated transportation and packaging to the point of purchase through consumption and package disposal) amount to 100 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) per package. The application of life-cycle assessment techniques provide a substantive basis for such claims. The methodology can be applied equally to services such as an airline trip or the annual meeting of an association.

    Organizational Inventory Quantification and Reporting
    Futurepast helps organizations establish and maintain accurate, reproducible and robust inventories of greenhouse gas emissions and removals. We help organizations identify who has what information and how that information can be efficiently collected and managed. Futurepast helps organizations comply with greenhouse gas regulations at both the state and federal levels, as well as with the accounting of information intended for voluntary disclosure.

    Greenhouse Gas Verification

    Futurepast provides greenhouse gas verification services to satisfy an organization’s requirements for internal auditing of the greenhouse gas information and information systems. Our services are also available to organizations that wish to verify the greenhouse emissions information and management systems of their supply chain. Futurepast verifies greenhouse gas information at the professional level of accredited independent third-party greenhouse gas verification bodies.

    First-Party Verification (Internal Audits)
    Organizations have many reasons to verify greenhouse gas emissions. Whether the information is collected for management purposes or regulatory compliance, greenhouse gas inventory reports can be complex and highly technical. Some regulatory programs explicitly require “internal auditing” of greenhouse gas inventory information. Others require measure of “quality assurance/quality control” which are often understood to include internal auditing. As consultants, we are not only able to provide expert, clear and insightful verification audit reports, but we are also able to help organizations resolve any problems or issues that arise as a result of the audit.

    Second-Party Verification (Supplier Audits)
    As more and more manufacturers and distributors are asked for greenhouse gas information related to products, the need for verification of supplier greenhouse gas information will continue to grow. Futurepast provides an outsourced solution for organizations needing second-party greenhouse gas and environmental management audit services at a high professional level.

    Management System Implementation and Auditing

    Futurepast helps organizations implement and maintain environmental management systems, Responsible Care management systems in the chemical and transportation industries, and integrated health-safety-environmental management systems in other industries. The essence of the management system is the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle of continual improvement pioneered by Edward Deming, and it has proven successful for all types of organizations in all economic sectors around the world.

    Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001)
    Organizations that manage environmental aspects, including greenhouse gas emissions information, can streamline their operational control and enhance improvement of their processes through the implementation of an environmental management system. ISO 14001 defines the essential requirements for a generic environmental management system.

    Responsible Care Management Systems (RC14001, RCMS)
    In response to the special needs of the chemical industry, the American Chemical Society spearheaded the establishment by its members of integrated environment-health-safety-security management systems adapted to the particular needs of the chemical industry. Futurepast helps organizations, including Partner organizations providing chemical transport services, to meet these high standards.

    Integrated Environmental-Health-Safety Management Systems (ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001)
    Futurepast helps organizations integrate environmental-safety-health management systems to improve system performance and streamline processes in organizations with a need to demonstrate separate conformity to both the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 management system standards.

    Quality Management at Futurepast

    Futurepast conducts its work in accordance with a quality management system based on ISO 9001:2008. Please follow this link to Futurepast’s quality policy.