SGS verifies tourism sector carbon footprint of Montenegro

SGS has conducted a carbon footprint methodology verification for the tourism sector in Montenegro. The carbon footprint covered the tourism sector, one of the country’s most important industries. The review by SGS was undertaken against international standards and guidelines, providing verification of data and the methodologies used. The work conducted by SGS experts from the UK and Serbia involved an assessment of the methodology developed by the UNDP implemented Towards Carbon Neutral Tourism Project, against IPCC reporting guidelines, as well as verifying 2013 inventory data for the tourism sector. With nations facing greater monitoring and reporting requirements following the Paris Agreement set out in 2015, SGS has demonstrated the value that its carbon verification team can offer in helping to validate and improve the robustness of emissions reporting at a national level. A carbon footprint verification involves an in depth review of data management processes, methodologies, source data and calculations. Verification from an independent verification body provides clients with confidence in the data they and their stakeholders are using, and reduces the risks of non-compliance and misreporting. Viktor Subotic, Project Coordinator at the UNDP was responsible for helping to oversee the verification. “The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro in cooperation with UNDP implement a GEF-financed project called ‘Towards Carbon Neutral Tourism’, which aims to make tourism sustainable, resource efficient and climate change-responsive”, says Viktor. “Due to the innovative approach used in developing the inventory, SGS were engaged as an independent verifier, in order to confirm conformity of calculations with IPCC requirements. The assessment confirmed the quality of the methodological approach, which is important for further reporting towards UNFCCC and wider public dissemination”. Francesca Cerchia, Global Product Manager for Carbon and Water Services at SGS, has spoken positively of the experience, underlining the UNDP’s commitment to achieving verification. “Working with UNDP Montenegro on this project enabled our verification experts to bring their experience from corporate and life-cycle verifications into a national inventory assignment”, says Francesca. “The UNDP team provided excellent support throughout the project and were keen to receive our recommendations for improvement. We believe having undergone this process, Montenegro will be well placed to improve and develop its inventory for the tourism sector, helping to achieve a higher quality of reporting”, concludes Francesca. To find more information on carbon footprint verification, head to www.sgs.co.uk/climate-change, or contact Francesca Cerchia (tel: 07841 570655/ email: francesca.cerchia@sgs.com).

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