Recommendations call for recognizing full carbon-reduction value of biogas
WASHINGTON – September 5, 2025 – The American Biogas Council (ABC), with the Let Green Gas Count Coalition, announced today recommendations that allow corporate greenhouse gas reporting in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG-P) to recognize the full greenhouse gas benefits of biogas and renewable natural gas, also called “biomethane.” The GHG-P sets the rules for how emissions are tracked, reported, and reduced, guiding corporate climate strategies and ensuring accountability in decarbonization. Without these recommendations, corporate purchases of low- and negative-carbon gases to replace conventional natural gas will be significantly constrained, hurting the opportunity for climate change mitigation and local investment.
The “Let Green Gas Count” coalition comprises eight organizations including the American Biogas Council and the World Biogas Association (WBA). Launched in February 2025[1], the group calls for clarity around market instruments for “green gases” — biogas and renewable natural gas (RNG) — in the GHG-P for more accurate emissions reporting.
The coalition urges the GHG-P governing bodies to recognize market instruments, such as certified green gas certificates, in Scope 1 emissions reporting. This change would enable companies to transparently and consistently account for their decisions to use biogas and RNG instead of conventional natural gas supporting faster movement towards, and more effective corporate decarbonization.
The coalition’s recommendations aim to act as interim guidance for the treatment of renewable gases in corporate greenhouse gas reporting until GHG Protocol’s full guidance is released in 2028.
The ABC’s Executive Director Patrick Serfass said:
“Biogas, and renewable natural gas made from biogas, are two of the lowest carbon intensity energy sources available. It’s natural that businesses want to incorporate these green gases into their decarbonization strategy. But investment in projects that produce these fuels is currently thwarted by the lack of clear guidance on market instruments that recognize their carbon intensity. The recommendations from the Let Green Gas Count Coalition will help address this challenge to unlock new investment, accelerate project development, and ensure renewable natural gas and biogas can be recognized for their full, science-based climate benefits. We can’t afford further delays.”
WBA’s Chief Executive Charlotte Morton OBE commented:
“The GHG Protocol’s lack of guidance on the use of market instruments has significantly slowed the growth of the biomethane industry, which prevents particularly harmful methane emissions from organic wastes and is one of the few options for decarbonising hard-to-decarbonise sectors. Both are critical to mitigate the current and worsening climate crisis. The Let Green Gas Count Coalition has been calling for a solution, and these high-level recommendations can provide interim guidance for the reporting of low carbon gases. We mustn’t waste any more time.”
In support of the Let Green Gas Count coalition’s efforts in terms of corporate GHG accounting for clean fuels, the group will be hosting a “Clean Fuels Accounting” workshop on September 24, 2025, as part of New York Climate Week. The purpose of the workshop that will bring together corporate sustainability managers, auditors and policy makers, will be to foster alignment in clean fuels procurement practices for scope 1 decarbonization.
The Let Green Gas Count coalition has a dedicated website where you can view the recommendations and related activities.
[1] The “Let Green Gas Count” coalition’s work was initiated when the World Biogas Association, Eurogas, the European Biogas Association, the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas and the UK Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association issued a joint letter to members of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol governance bodies, calling for the key role of market-based instruments for renewable gases to be recognized in the Protocol’s Scope 1 inventory. The letter was signed by over 230 organizations within the green gas community.
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