GSA launches pilot for contractors to disclose greenhouse gas emissions

The General Services Administration has launched a pilot program to encourage vendors and contractors to publicly disclose their corporate-wide greenhouse gas emissions as a result of a recent executive order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The executive order aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent over the next decade from 2008 levels. The order also aims to increase the share of electricity the federal government consumes from renewable sources to 30 percent.

GSA's pilot program goes hand-in-hand with the executive order and not only encourages its vendors and contractors to publicly disclose their corporate-wide greenhouse gasses, but also to set targets to reduce them, the agency said on its website.

GSA is the first agency to launch a program like this.

The agency’s pilot program will launch with CDP Supply Chain, a third-party carbon reporting system used by over 70 major companies.

GSA has invited around 120 companies to participate in its pilot program.

In a similar effort, some companies are pledging their allegiance to the executive order by attending a roundtable that the administration is hosting in order to boost participation.

Among the companies taking the pledge are:

• IBM
• General Electric
• Honeywell
• SRA International
• Computer Sciences Corp.
• AECOM
• SAIC
• HP
• Northrop Grumman
• United Technologies
• CH2M Hill
• Battelle