cement, all types to generic market for cement, unspecified
Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS)
market for ground granulated blast furnace slag
Gypsum additive
market for gypsum, mineral
Appendix 2: Double claiming instructions
This appendix provides guidance to stakeholders in the carbonated construction materials supply chain on how to transparently and correctly report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals in Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) when the associated climate benefits are either retained, or sold/transferred through Riverse Carbon Credits (RCCs), or any Environmental Attributes Certificates (EACs).
To ensure transparency, comparability, and consistency with international standards (EN 15804, ISO 14025, GHG Protocol), this guidance outlines:
How to report GWP values in the EPD when climate benefits are retained.
How to adjust disclosures when climate benefits are sold via RCCs.
How to handle partial allocation of benefits.
How to treat the GHG reporting responsibilities for both the material producer and the buyer of the RCCs.
1. Definitions
Retained Claim: The producer retains the right to claim the GHG benefit of the product and associated product documents (e.g., EPD), which can then be transferred to downstream product buyer/users.
Transferred Claim: The producer sells the right to claim the GHG benefit to a third party by issuing and selling RCCs via a certified registry, here Riverse Registry.
Partial Allocation: A portion of the climate benefit is retained by the producer, and the rest is transferred via RCCs.
Carbon Benefit: Includes both CO2 removals (permanent storage in material) and reductions (lower emissions vs. baseline).
Environmental Attribute Certificate (EAC): A transferable digital certificate representing a quantified environmental benefit, such as GHG reduction or removal, which may be retired to support a claim.
Book & Claim: A chain-of-custody model that allows the separation of physical product delivery and environmental benefit allocation, enabling GHG claims without direct product traceability.
2. GWP Reporting Scenarios
Each scenario is detailed in the corresponding section, and summarized in the table below.
A. Full retention of climate benefit (no carbon credits issued)
For projects not registered in the Riverse Registry; climate benefits remain bundled with the product and are retained by the product producer.
EPD Requirements
Results (GWP Values): Must reflect the actual physical climate performance, including all CO₂ reductions and removals, in line with EN 15804 (A1 and A2) and ISO 21930*.
Disclosure: No specific disclosure is required, as the producer retains the entire climate benefit.
Claim Guidelines
Producer GHG Reporting: The producer may include the full climate benefit in their GHG inventory (Scope 1 or 3), depending on the source of emissions.
Buyer of the material: The buyer may include the full climate benefit in their GHG inventory (Scope 3), and in subsequent LCA.
RCCs Buyer Reporting: No climate benefit is transferred, there are no third-party buyers to claim GHG impact.
B. Full Climate Benefit Transfer, Reflected in EPD
For producers who issue and sell RCCs separately from their product, where the climate benefit (e.g. carbon removal or reduction) is also fully reflected in the EPD results as part of the product’s physical performance.
Registry requirement
All production volumes must be monitored and reported in the Riverse Registry during the verification process.
EPD requirements
Results (GWP Values): Must reflect actual physical performance, counting all net CO2 reductions and removals, in line with EN 15804 (A1 and A2) and ISO 21930*. The GWP values reported in the EPD therefore include the carbon benefit that has been transferred via RCCs.
Disclosure: Include a disclaimer, for example:
"The GWP value reflects the physical performance of the product. However, the associated climate benefit (320 kg CO2e/tonne) has been unbundled and transferred to a third party through EACs on the Riverse Registry. The product no longer carries this environmental attribute for accounting or marketing purposes, the GWP value to use in such claim shall be 800 kg CO2e/tonne (i.e. baseline value)"
Optional: Include a QR code or registry link for claim verification.
Claims guidance
Producer GHG Reporting: The producer must exclude the transferred benefit from their own GHG inventory (following GHG Protocol). Only residual emissions (i.e. induced emissions and removals not associated with issued credits) should be reported may be reported under e.g. GHG Protocol Scope 1, 2, or 3.
Material Buyer GHG Reporting:
When used in downstream EPDs or building LCAs: The reporting must reflect actual physical performance, including all CO2 reductions and removals, in line with EN 15804 (A1 and A2) and ISO 21930*, and include the disclosure presented above.
When reported in a GHG Assessment: The buyer shall not claim the climate benefit of the product, but use the baseline GWP provided in the disclaimer of the EPD.
RCCs Buyer Reporting:
Use of RCCs
GHG Protocol
SBTi
RCCs use at the product scale
Buyers may report retired RCCs under their Scope 3 emissions (typically in Category 1: Purchased goods and services) by referencing the registry and serial numbers of the credits. Since RCCs are issued per functional unit (e.g. per tonne of cement), a conversion is needed to relate the buyer’s physical product flows to the number of RCCs claimed. This ensures carbon benefits are properly attributed to specific products in the inventory. The conversion factor must come from the verified audit and certification materials.
The buyer of the RCCs may include the attributed carbon reduction or removal alongside their GHG inventory, for their near/long-term targets, clearly referencing the registry and the retired RCCs.
RCCs use for company-wide offsetting
The buyer of the RCCs may include the attributed carbon reduction or removal in the optional information in relation to a target. As it is reported in tCO2eq, there is no need for conversion.
The buyer of the RCCs may include the attributed carbon reduction or removal alongside their GHG inventory for their near-term/long-term targets. If RCCs are permanent removal, they may be considered as an option for neutralizing residual emissions (C28) or to finance additional climate mitigation beyond their science-based emission reduction targets (R9).
C. Full Climate Benefit Transfer, Not Reflected in EPD
For producers who issue and sell RCCs separately from their product, but where the climate benefit is not reflected in the EPD results due to methodological implementation of EN 15804 (e.g. exclusion of long-term biogenic carbon storage from GWP values).
Registry requirement
All production volumes must be monitored and reported in the Riverse Registry during the verification process, including any eligible climate benefits (e.g. carbon removals or reductions) for which RCCs are issued.
EPD requirements
Results (GWP Values): Should follow EN 15804 (A1 and A2) and ISO 21930 as written. If the methodology does not allow permanent carbon storage (e.g. biogenic carbon stored >100 years) to be reflected in GWP-biogenic, then the climate benefit is excluded from the EPD by design.
Disclosure: Include the following disclaimer:
"The GWP values reflects the physical performance of the product (carbon content, induced emissions) as required in EN15804, however permanent storage of biogenic content is not currently reflected in the GWP values due to methodological constraints of EN 15804. This permanent removals have been certified, unbundled and transferred to a third party through EACs on the Riverse Registry.
Optional: Include a QR code or registry link for claim verification.
Claims guidance
Producer GHG Reporting: The producer must exclude the transferred benefit from their own GHG inventory (following GHG Protocol). Only residual emissions (i.e. induced emissions and removals not associated with issued credits) should be reported may be reported under e.g. GHG Protocol Scope 1, 2, or 3.
Material Buyer GHG Reporting:
When used in downstream EPDs or building LCAs: The GWP values from the EPD may be used as-is (unaltered), following EN 15804 requirements. By default, the benefit will not be counted in GHG inventories based on EPDs. However, any other marketing or disclosure must reference the disclaimer and not double-count the benefit claimed via RCCs.
When included in a GHG Assessment: Buyers of the physical product must not claim the associated permanent removal if it has been transferred via RCCs.
RCCs Buyer GHG Reporting:
Follow the same instructions outlined in the table in section B.
D. Batch Based Retention/Transfer (some carbon credits issued)
For producers selling both bundled and unbundled carbonated materials across different batches.
Registry requirement
Producers shall implement batch traceability for monitoring and RCC issuance.
Each production batch should be linked to its own verification and registry entry.
Riverse issues two distinct credit pools, with different issuance serial numbers, enabling split accounting.
EPD requirements
Two separate EPDs shall be created and registered:
One following the Full Retention model (Section A)
One following the Full Transfer model, including a disclosure (Section B)
Claims guidance
Follow guidance from either Section A or Section B depending on the EPD used and whether the batch includes retained or transferred climate benefits.
Section
Registry Requirements
EPD Requirements (key points)
Claims Guidance (key points)
A. Full Retention
Not registered
• GWP reflects full reductions/ removals
• No disclosure needed
• Producer & buyer may book full climate benefit (Scope 1/3 or Scope 3)
• No RCC buyers (benefit not transferred)
B. Full Climate Benefit Transfer, Reflected in EPD
• All production volumes must be monitored & reported in the Riverse Registry during verification
• GWP reflects physical performance
• Disclaimer: benefit unbundled, use baseline GWP without climate benefits for claims
• Optional QR / registry link
• Producer must exclude transferred benefit
• Material buyer shall use physical GWP in LCA, baseline GWP in GHG assessment
• RCC buyer can claim reduction/removal in Scope 3 or offsets, referencing retired RCCs
C. Full Climate Benefit Transfer, Not Reflected in EPD
• All production volumes must be monitored & reported in the Riverse Registry during verification
• GWP shows reemissions of the biogenic content as required by EN15804, or does not count carbon removal in the first place (e.g. accelerated carbonation of concrete)
• Disclaimer: permanent removal unbundled
• Optional QR / registry link
• Producer must exclude transferred benefit (only residuals)
• Material buyer: use GWP in EPD,
• RCC buyer can claim permanent removal in neutralizing claim, referencing retired RCCs
D. Batch-Based Retention
• Batch traceability required
• Each batch linked to its own verification / registry entry
• Two credit pools enable split accounting
• Two EPDs: one “Full Retention” (A) and one “Full Transfer” (B) with disclaimer
• Follow guidance of A or B depending on whether the specific batch’s benefit is retained or transferred
3. Additional requirements
Registry: Use the publicly accessible registry (registry.riverse.io) to document issuance, transfer, and retirement of climate attributes.
Batch Linking: In any case, Riverse encourages traceable batch IDs associated with each verification and issuance of RCCs, to enable users to verify the status of environmental attributes.
Communication: Product buyers should be made aware of the attribute status through delivery documents or digital means.
LCA Tools: Ensure any GWP data exported for use in LCA or Scope 3 inventories clearly reflects retained vs. transferred benefits.
4. Compliance Notes
(*) This guidance ensures consistency with product environmental impact reporting norms for construction products EN 15804 (A1 and A2) as well as ISO 21930. It also complies with more generic reporting norms: ISO 14025, ISO/TS 14027, ISO 14040, ISO 14044 and ISO 14067.
This guidance ensures consistency of carbon credits users within GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard and SBTi’s Corporate Net-Zero Standard.
Double counting of environmental attributes must be strictly avoided.
When in doubt, conservative assumptions (e.g., excluding sold attributes) should be used.
For further clarification or implementation support, contact the methodology development team at [email protected].
