-- The COMET Method will provide an important first step in decarbonizing 
industry by giving insight into the CO2 emissions from the production of key 
materials like steel, copper, and cement.  

Rocky Mountain Institute, MIT Sustainable Supply Chains, the Columbia Center on 
Sustainable Investment, and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the 
Colorado School of Mines today announced the Coalition on Materials Emissions 
Transparency (COMET) ( 
https://rmi.org/our-work/industry-and-transportation/material-value-chains/comet/ 
). This effort aims to build a standard method for measuring greenhouse gas 
(GHG) emissions in materials, an important step in decarbonizing mineral and 
industrial supply chains. The COMET Method will provide insight into the carbon 
content of consumer products like cars, buildings, and phones, and will help 
both corporations and consumers purchase materials and products with fewer 
embedded CO2 emissions.

"We all know that you can't manage what you can't measure," said Paolo Natali, 
director of the Materials Initiative at Rocky Mountain Institute. "Until people 
know the climate impact of the products they're using, it will be impossible 
for them to demand lower-carbon goods, and it will be impossible to decarbonize 
the industrial sectors that are responsible for 40 percent of annual greenhouse 
gas emissions."

While climate disclosure is increasing, it remains a challenge to compare 
greenhouse gas emissions across companies and supply chains. There is currently 
no consistency in data collection or reporting across methods, and no framework 
that spans the entire supply chain. This means there is no universally accepted 
way to know the emissions intensity of products or materials. The COMET Method 
will change that by making GHG disclosure comparable across the existing 
reporting mechanisms and helping to develop a clear picture of emissions from 
the production of key materials like steel, copper, and cement.  

"Our ultimate goal is transparency of climate impacts across the supply chain," 
said Suzanne Greene, program manager for MIT Sustainable Supply Chains. "An 
emissions calculation method for mineral and industrial supply chains is an 
important first step for consumers and investors to understand and drive the 
decarbonization of the goods we use every day."

COMET will initially focus on developing sector-specific guidance for metals 
and minerals. For more information, or to become a founding member, contact: 
Paolo Natali (pnatali@rmi.org) or Kathy Wight (kwight@rmi.org), or visit: 
www.rmi.org/comet  

Media inquiries please contact:

Nick Steel, New York
Tel: +1-347-574-0887
Email: nsteel@rmi.org

SOURCE: Rocky Mountain Institute