Enviro-access launches new Carbon Care™ certification

National Bank of Canada awarded first certification

MONTREAL, Feb. 14, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - As North American businesses become increasingly aware of the important role they play in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, Enviro-access—one of only two organizations accredited by the Canadian Standards Council (CSC) as a GHG validation and audit firm—is launching its new Carbon Care^TM certification.

Enviro-access CEO Manon Laporte explains: "The organizations that voluntarily commit to GHG reductions and seek our experts' help wished to see the creation of a credible and rigorous certification that would recognize their concrete efforts to quantify and reduce their emissions. The Carbon Care^TM certification will allow them to stand out from the competition and gain the trust of a varied clientele by demonstrating their compliance with a rigorous process backed by the highest GHG quantification and auditing standards. The requirements of our certification will lend it a great degree of credibility."

Carbon Care^TM certification offers two levels of recognition: basic and carbon-neutral. The basic recognition attests that the organization has carried out an inventory of its GHG emissions in compliance with ISO standard 14064-1 and that it has provided tangible proof of initiatives undertaken to reduce GHG emissions. The second level of certification, the carbon-neutral recognition, is awarded to organizations that have, additionally, offset all direct and indirect energy GHGs quantified in their inventory. The offset can be achieved through credits certified to recognized standards or by purchasing GHG emissions reductions from a project documented in compliance with ISO standard 14064-2 and audited by an organization accredited by the CSC.

"This certification is, without a doubt, a key element in the recognition of businesses' and institutions' efforts to proactively manage their GHG emissions. This can only encourage all Quebec and Canadian companies to follow suit in response to the growing trend among citizen-consumers to support organizations taking steps to reduce their ecological footprint," adds Laporte.

National Bank of Canada receives first Carbon Care^TM certification
Enviro-access is also proud to award the very first Carbon Care^TM certification to National Bank of Canada, which earned the carbon-neutral recognition. National Bank of Canada's Building Engineering and Sustainable Development Manager, André Longpré, declares: "The Bank has been working hard at reducing emissions for five years. A first GHG inventory painted a detailed picture of our emissions and allowed us to target our emissions reduction actions. Ten concrete measures have since been implemented, and we chose to compensate our residual emissions by buying carbon offsets from Sobeys. This carbon-neutral certification is a gratifying recognition of our efforts to responsibly manage our GHGs. We are very proud to have succeeded in meeting all requirements. It is a testament to the thoroughness of our approach and to National Bank of Canada's desire to contribute to environmental protection."

The Carbon Care^TM certification is aimed at private companies as well as financial institutions, academic institutions, and other public organizations.

About Enviro-access
Enviro-access has been counselling public and private organizations in their sustainable development and GHG emissions reductions projects for two decades. Its team of specialists is considered to be among the most experienced in Quebec and Canada when it comes to assisting the execution of projects related to GHG emissions reductions. The company also quantifies, validates, and audits GHG emissions.

SOURCE: Enviro-accès

For more information or to schedule an interview:
Sarah Claude
Coordinator
Massy Forget Langlois Public Relations
514- 842-2455, ext. 22
514- 602-4102
[email protected]