Carbon verification

Croda were responsible for the preparation of the GHG emission statements and the internal management controls governing the data collection, collation and GHG calculations performed.

Carbon Smart were responsible for carrying out a reasonable verification assessment in accordance with the ISO 14064-3:2019 ‘Greenhouse gases - Part 3: Specification with guidance for the verification and validation of greenhouse gas statements’ and providing an independently expressed opinion on the reported GHG emissions totals and performance, for each of the data sources included in the scope of this verification exercise.

The boundary of the verification process included 19 manufacturing sites, 38 non-manufacturing sites and 11 Incotec sites over which Croda International Plc have operational control, across 37 countries.

GHG sources included in the verification process:
• Scope 1: Natural gas; landfill gas; biogas; light fuel oil; heavy fuel oil; gasoline; diesel; propane/LPG; energy from waste oil; biodiesel
• Scope 2: Electricity; steam; renewables; district heating
• Scope 3: Raw materials; water supply and treatment; legal services; capital goods; well to tank fuels; well to tank electricity; electricity transmission and distribution (T&D), waste; air travel; car travel; other travel; employee commuting, upstream transportation and distribution
• Outside of scopes: Biogenic portion of vehicles fuels; biofuels
• Excluded from scope: VOCs
• Types of GHGs included, as applicable: CO2e, CO2, N2O, CH4, HFCs, PFCs and SF6
• Energy: Total energy consumption percentage split from fossil fuels and non-fossil fuels

tCO2e	Scope 1	Scope 2 (location-based)	Scope 2  (market-based)	Scope 3	Outside of scopes	Scope 1 + 2 Intensity
2015	130,492	71,727	-	768,844	27,309	187 tCO2e/£m  turnover
2016	128,550	67,350	-	770,991	28,885	158 tCO2e/£m  turnover
2017	134,562	66,432	48,055	899,368	23,012	150 tCO2e/£m  turnover
2018	153,211	67,176	45,974	942,134	23,012	161 tCO2e/£m turnover
2019	140,403	63,303	33,959	890,646	15,382	146 tCO2e/£m turnover

 

 

Croda’s GHG inventory has been completed in accordance with the World Resources Institute (WRI)/World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, Revised Edition (for Scope 1 and 2) and WRI/WBCSD Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard (for Scope 3). The verification criteria assessed the adherence of Croda’s GHG statements and procedures to the best practice reporting principles of relevance, completeness, consistency, transparency and accuracy.

Carbon Smart conducted the reasonable verification engagement in three separate phases: in September/October 2019 through an initial phase of engagement with material and non-material sites, in November/December through further engagement with the second group of material and non-material sites and throughout January/ February 2020 for the final data set. We used the appropriate verification planning, validation, GHG assessment and evaluation steps in accordance with the requirements of ISO 14064:3 2019, and in adherence to the standard’s principles of independence, ethical conduct, fair presentation and due professional care.

The objectives of the verification engagement were to ensure Croda’s GHG statements are materially correct to an acceptable materiality threshold of 5% at the GHG source level and organisational level; and to ensure the GHG inventory provides the relevant material information required by stakeholders for the purpose of decision making.

Our verification opinion is based on the following activities:

• Agreement on the level of verification, objectives, criteria, organisational scope and materiality thresholds
• Review of the processes and procedures for establishing the organisational and operational boundary, ensuring relevance in emissions reporting across scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions sources
• Development of the verification project plan and data sampling plan (based on risk and materiality)
• To reflect the reasonable level of verification, Carbon Smart’s sample included >80% of Croda’s total scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions
• Assessment of the GHG data collection system and controls through interviews by phone and face-to-face
• Assessment of the data collection process from raw data comparison with primary evidence, through to local and global collation in GHG aggregation worksheets. This step included assessment of estimations and extrapolation systems in place and their underlying assumptions
• Review of online data collection systems and third-party supply chain impact tools
• Review of the appropriateness and application of the methodologies and calculations used for conversion of activity data to CO2e emissions
• Review of the change in scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions between years and against baseline 2015
• Evaluation of the internal quality assurance procedures and results
• Our evidence gathering procedures included but were not limited to:
  • Five site visits to Croda International Plc’s Head Office, and manufacturing sites in Rawcliffe Bridge and Leek in the UK, and Atlas Point in USA and Gouda in Netherlands, to inspect completeness of the inventory and interview site personnel
  • In depth telephone interviews with nine manufacturing, non-manufacturing and Incotec sites to confirm operational behavior and standard operating procedures
  • Desktop study of data and evidence of further six sites to confirm accuracy of source data into calculations

Based on the procedures followed for reasonable verification, Carbon Smart declares that Croda’s scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions for the reporting period 2019, year on year performance changes in Croda’s operational GHG inventory and total energy consumption % split are:

• Prepared in accordance with Croda International Plc's relevant internal GHG emissions reporting methodologies, which adhere to the internationally recognised WRI/WBCSD
• Greenhouse Gas Protocol GHG corporate and scope 3 standards
• Materially correct and a fair representation of their GHG emissions
• Prepared in adherence to the best practice reporting principles of relevance, completeness, consistency, transparency and accuracy
• Worthy of the award of reasonable verification

Wcan confirm our independence, ethics and competence as follows:

• We are independently appointed by Croda International plc and no member of the verification team has a business reason for bias with regard to the limited verification engagement
• We have complied with the ethical requirements relevant for the performance of the ISO14064:3 engagement in respect of professional experience in environmental reporting and assurance. We have acted with the integrity, objectivity, professional competence, due care and confidentiality to be expected of a professional services provider and the rigor of our work is sufficient to the level required by the ISO 14064:3 standard
• Our team have extensive experience in GHG reporting to WRI/WBCSD GHG Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (revised) standard and ISO 14064:3.
  Carbon Smart applies quality control and management approaches equivalent to ISO 9001 International Standard and as encompassed in the Carbon Smart Quality and Ethics Policies. Our commitment to ethical conduct is appropriate for that required for environmental and sustainability professionals in respect of conducting the verification engagement.

In future Croda International Plc should:

• Continue collecting supplier-specific emission factors / fuel mix for electricity purchases to improve the accuracy of reported scope 2 market-based emissions and accuracy with which energy consumed from fossil and non-fossil source can be accounted for
• Encourage environmental representatives to use consistent gap-fill estimation methodologies and record the calculations transparently in the evidence pack
• Continue extending the current hybrid scope 3 emissions reporting methods to incorporate additional exploration of raw materials categories and improve precision

Carbon Smart declares that Croda International Plc have received limited verification for reporting years ending 31st December 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018; and reasonable verification for reporting year 2019 for the following:

• Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and intensity metric (tCO2e/£m turnover)
• Scope 1, 2 and 3 year-on-year performance change relative to baseline
• Temporary biogenic carbon sequestration from raw material (2019 purchase)
• Total energy consumption percentage split into fossil and non-fossil