Petrobras, Ford Brasil, Walmart Brasil, and Whirlpool are some of the first companies to voluntarily measure and publicly report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using the Brazil GHG Protocol Program, a project of the World Resources Institute (WRI).

Findings suggest nearly 30 companies that took part in the program are responsible for approximately 20 percent of Brazil’s energy and industry sector emissions, or 8.5 percent of Brazil’s total emissions excluding changes in land use and deforestation.

“The ability of developing countries to measure and verify GHG information is a major concern in international climate change talks and on Capitol Hill,” said Taryn Fransen, a senior associate with WRI’s GHG Protocol Initiative. “While Brazil’s inventory program is voluntary, it shows the industrialized world that companies in developing countries, such as Brazil, are serious about measuring and reporting their emissions, and our GHG Protocol programs are helping to build this capacity.”

Fransen added, “Voluntary reporting programs can pave the way for mandatory requirements in the future, as was the case in the United States, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently finalized a mandatory GHG reporting rule for U.S. companies.”

For instance, Rodrigo Rollemberg, senator of Brasilia, recently reintroduced a bill that would require all large public organizations and private companies to report their GHG inventories every two years. The bill would mandate use of the Brazil GHG Protocol Program’s methodologies.

Interest in voluntary GHG management among companies in Brazil continues to skyrocket and by early next year more than a hundred companies are expected to receive training in GHG accounting through WRI’s program.

“Brazilian companies recognize that climate change is a serious issue and are very aware of the need to transition to low-carbon growth to meet the demand of consumers. Based on the number of requests from new companies to join, we expect the program to expand significantly next year.” said Juarez Campos, program coordinator at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, which implements the GHG Protocol’s work in Brazil. A list of all program members can be found on the GHG Protocol website.

Brazil, China and India have developed GHG inventory programs based on the GHG Protocol— an international accounting tool developed by WRI and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) that’s used by corporations and governments to understand, quantify and manage emissions.