The world’s first international, independently verified net zero standards are on the way from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), thanks in part to three years of work by Oxford Net Zero, which the Blavatnik School is part of. 

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has launched the public consultation for the draft ISO Net Zero Aligned Organizations Standard (ISO 14060), designed to support organisations in developing credible and comprehensive net zero transition plans. 

This standard builds on ISO Net Zero Guidelines and minimum criteria that Oxford Net Zero helped to research and convene. It has since gone through a two-year international consultation with hundreds of delegates from across sectors and from over 100 countries. 

There is now a 12-week consultation on the standards, with governments, businesses, researchers and civil society organisations encouraged to participate through their country’s National Standards Body, with the aim of establishing national consensus positions by early September. 

If and when the ISO is agreed, it will provide a framework for organisations to establish ambitious net zero pathways and transition plans that can be validated and verified, providing the basis for credible claims. 

For more detail, including on how to participate in the consultation, visit the Oxford Net Zero announcement.