BCD Travel’s consultancy arm Advito has unveiled a new service to help corporates identify “gaps” in their travel emissions data before they start an external verification process.
Advito said this pre-audit service would offer an “independent” assessment of an organisation’s Scope 3 business travel emissions data and processes across any calculation methodology. The consultancy added this would help to “strengthen audit readiness and mitigate business risk”.
“By identifying gaps before external verification begins, Advito helps reduce client effort and friction during the audit process and may help limit the time required with external auditors,” explained Advito.
This review covers data collection processes and quality, calculation methodologies and emissions factors, as well as highlighting any inconsistencies and missing evidence, which could “create challenges” during an external audit.
Advito said it was “uniquely positioned” to help companies with this assessment due to the development of its ISO-certified Gate4 emissions methodology.
“Travel data is complex and even organisations with mature sustainability programmes can encounter gaps when that data is examined through an auditor's lens," said Julian Etchanchu, senior director of sustainability and multimodal practices at Advito.
“Our goal is to help clients identify issues before the formal audit begins, strengthen the evidence behind their calculations regardless of which methodology they use, and create a clear and concise picture of their business travel emissions.”
Corporates are facing a range of new emissions reporting requirements, such as the EU’s delayed Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the UK’s SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting), and state-specific requirements in the US.
Advito’s new service is designed for organisations that require carbon verification statements for their emissions reporting across both Scope 3.6 (business travel) and Scope 3.7 (commuting) categories.
Participating clients will receive a report on Advito’s findings and recommendations of the actions needed before going through a formal external audit.