Navigating Scope 3 Emissions: Insights from the Carbon Accounting in Agricultural Supply Chains Summit

Recently, CIBO's representatives attended the 2nd Carbon Accounting in Agricultural Supply Chains Summit in Chicago—a gathering of industry leaders exploring the complexities of carbon accounting in agriculture.

One of the most engaging sessions featured perspectives from Winrock International, Nestlé, The Hershey Company, and Danone. The discussion centered on one of the most pressing challenges in corporate sustainability: managing Scope 3 emissions—the indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain.

Companies are grappling with how to reconcile project-based and inventory-based accounting:

• Should organizations adopt dual accounting, tracking both project- and inventory-based emissions?

• Should they attempt to integrate project and inventory accounting into a single approach?

• Or should they stick with inventory accounting alone?

The main takeaway? There is no one-size-fits-all solution. While the Land Sector and Removals Guidance from the GHG Protocol is expected later this year, companies are already proactively collaborating with upstream partners to develop strategies that work for their operations.

Recent regulatory developments are adding urgency to these conversations. For example, California’s new Scope 3 GHG disclosure requirements for manufacturers—covering products and packaging—highlight the increasing expectation for transparency in value chain emissions. Organizations are now preparing for more rigorous reporting obligations, making early collaboration and flexible accounting approaches more critical than ever.

At CIBO, we’re helping organizations move forward with confidence in this evolving landscape. Our innovations—including the industry’s first open platform integration for third-party ecosystem services models—enable companies to adapt to new standards while maintaining flexibility in how they manage carbon data.

As one panel participant poignantly summarized, “We can’t pause progress for perfect.” This sentiment exemplifies our industry’s commitment to moving ahead, even incrementally, and underscores the importance of taking actionable steps today while continuing to build on sustainable business practices.

To continue learning more about GHG reporting in Ag watch the webinar Inventory and Project-Based GHG Reporting in Ag.