Brighter Planet carbon software certified by Det Norske Veritas

April 5, 2011 - PRLog -- Brighter Planet CM1, the first open source cloud-based carbon calculation web service, has been certified for standards compliance by the preeminent risk management company Det Norske Veritas (DNV). DNV released an assessment report today verifying that Brighter Planet's carbon models for flights, automobiles, buildings, and fuels, among others, meet methodology standards required by the three leading carbon standards: the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, ISO 14064, and the General Reporting Protocol.

Corporate carbon footprinting has moved to the mainstream, with 73% of Global 500 companies now measuring and disclosing GHG emissions. Standards compliance certification is playing an increasingly important role in this context, although certified software solutions are still the exception, with most carbon software vendors yet to gain this seal of approval.

A new class of sustainability software, Brighter Planet's CM1 web service helps clients capitalize on sustainability by delivering actionable carbon intelligence to their customers, powering improved decision making in real time. "Moving emissions data from the realm of retrospective annual reports to contexts where it drives real-time action is a big step forward, but it demands increased consistency, rigor, and audibility because more rides on the reliability of the numbers," says Brighter Planet CEO Patti Prairie. "The higher quality the carbon data, the more targeted and effective the actions can be."

The announcement comes after a detailed review by DNV of the Brighter Planet web service's calculation methodologies, software code, and documentation. The independent assessment, an industry first for software of this type, underscores the growing importance of third party oversight, offers significant authoritative weight to Brighter Planet clients, and reinforces DNV's role as the carbon industry's leading validator.

"For most companies, managing carbon is ultimately about managing risk – financial, legal, and reputational. But lack of oversight, transparency, and third party verification can leave sustainability programs exposed, undermining risk management goals," said Miguel Rescalvo, DNV Regional Manager, Climate Change & Environmental Services Americas. "Our independent assessment of Brighter Planet's GHG tool helps companies safeguard against these risks and hedge the success of their environmental initiatives by certifying compliance with established international protocols."

Analyst firm Forrester noted in a recent report on the maturing carbon software market that "Carbon middleware is emerging, with Brighter Planet as a foremost vendor." The newly announced standards certification adds another significant layer of quality assurance for CM1 users, on top of open source code, custom audit documentation, and transparent methodology publication.

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Det Norske Veritas (http://www.dnv.com) is a leading risk management company. Its mission is to safeguard life, property and the environment. Established in 1864, the company has a global presence with a network of 9,000 technical, business and risk experts working out of 300 offices in 100 countries. Recognized for its independence and integrity, DNV is a highly respected validation and verification firm, providing trust and confidence to all stakeholder groups.

Brighter Planet (http://brighterplanet.com) is a leading provider of carbon calculation and mitigation tools for businesses and consumers. Recently named 2010's "Best Small Business" by Discovery Channel's Treehugger, Brighter Planet serves hundreds of thousands of customers daily, has performed millions of cloud-based carbon calculations, and has helped clients prevent hundreds of millions of pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.