Sustainability Information Calculator Verification (SICV)

By verifying your sustainability information calculator with UL Solutions, you demonstrate leadership and give stakeholders more confidence in the accuracy of your calculator.

As sustainability reporting becomes more critical and complex, organizations are adopting purpose-built and often software based calculators to help collect and manage all the necessary product- and enterprise-level sustainability information.

Key metrics often include:

Carbon emissions
Water usage
Energy consumption
Waste impact

Sustainability calculators play a vital role in enabling data-driven decisions and disclosures. However, the accuracy and reliability of their outputs are essential to support trust, compliance and performance improvement.

Why verification matters

Our Sustainability Information Calculator Verification (SICV) services help evaluate whether a calculator, when used correctly, can produce reliable, auditable sustainability information.

Our SICV service evaluates whether your calculator:

Is materially correct – Free from individual or aggregate defects that could result in a variance greater than 5% between calculated and actual information.
Conforms to criteria – Aligns with a specified policy, procedure, or requirement used as a reference for preparing sustainability information.

Who needs this service?

SICV is designed for:

Calculator providers – Developers of internal or commercial sustainability calculators.
Calculator users – Organizations relying on these tools for reporting, decision-making or assurance.

Benefits for calculator providers

Risk management

Reduce the risk of calculator methodology defects that could lead to surges in user support cases or the need to restate user sustainability information.

Operational efficiency

Minimize time spent responding to inquiries from internal or external assurance practitioners acting on behalf of users.

Market differentiation

Demonstrate methodological accuracy, content integrity and control effectiveness to stand out in a competitive market.

How we can help

UL Solutions evaluates the methodology, managed content and control environment of sustainability calculators. Upon successful verification, providers receive a UL Verification Mark to promote the credibility of their sustainability calculator.

Scope of verification

SICV is a verification service that assesses whether sustainability calculators can reliably generate accurate and standards-aligned information.

Key review areas:

Methodology – How calculations are performed
Content – The quality of managed content
Controls – Processes and governance mechanisms for consistency and reliability

Alignment with international standards

SICV is grounded in internationally recognized verification principles, including:

ISO 14064-3 – Specification with guidance for the validation and verification of greenhouse gas assertions
ISO 14064-1 – Guidelines for quantifying and reporting GHG emissions
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol – Widely adopted framework for corporate GHG accounting

Benefits for calculator users

Confidence in accuracy

Gain increased confidence in the accuracy of calculator outputs — assuming accurate inputs — when making sustainability decisions.

Simplified provider selection

Use verification status as a purchasing criterion to streamline screening and selection of externally provided calculators.

Support for assurance and reporting

Verified calculators support internal and external assurance processes and improve the quality of sustainability disclosures.

Our process

UL Solutions will start by meeting with your team to help define the scope, objectives, and criteria for the verification of your sustainability calculator.

Steps may include:

Methodology and data review
Our experts assess the calculation of logic, data sources and control environment to evaluate alignment with best practices.

Calculation verification and final statement
Upon successful review, UL Solutions issues a verification statement and provides a UL Verification Mark for use in communications.

Alignment with standards and frameworks

ISO 14064-3 Verification Principles
SICV follows the principles of independence, transparency, and evidence-based evaluation outlined in ISO 14064-3.
Connection to ISO 14064-1 and GHG Protocol
Verification supports alignment with ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol, enhancing credibility in carbon accounting and reporting.

Why standards-based verification matters

Using recognized standards helps build consistency, comparability, and trust across industries and geographies.

UL Verified Mark for GHG calculators

How providers can use the UL Mark
Upon successful verification, calculator providers receive a UL Verification Mark to showcase the credibility of their tool.
Benefits for marketing and user trust
The Mark helps build trust with users, stakeholders and regulators. It can be used in marketing materials, product documentation and procurement communications.

What types of sustainability calculators can be verified under SICV?: Any calculator designed to generate product- or enterprise-level environmental sustainability data, such as carbon, water, energy and waste metrics.
How does SICV differ from GHG statement verification?: SICV focuses on verifying the calculator’s ability to produce accurate data, while GHG statement verification assesses the accuracy of reported emissions data.
Does SICV cover Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions?: Yes, provided the calculator is designed to calculate these scopes and includes appropriate methodologies and data sources.
How long does the verification process typically take?: Timelines vary based on calculator complexity and documentation readiness. UL Solutions provides estimates during initial scoping.
How does verification help with regulatory compliance?: Verified calculators support accurate reporting aligned with standards, aiding in meeting regulatory and voluntary disclosure requirements.
What documentation is required to start the verification process?: Methodology documentation, data sources (e.g., emission factors), control procedures and sample calculations.