EREF Science Session to Explore Avoided Emissions in the Solid Waste Industry
RALEIGH, NC, August 13, 2026 – As organizations work to quantify and communicate their environmental impacts, avoided emissions have become an increasingly important topic in sustainability reporting and greenhouse gas accounting. The Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) will examine the concept and its application within the solid waste industry during an upcoming Science Session, Understanding Avoided Emissions in the Solid Waste Industry.
Avoided emissions generally represent greenhouse gas emissions that are prevented or reduced through the use of a product, service or system compared with an alternative scenario. While the concept has gained traction internationally, methodologies continue to evolve, with ongoing questions surrounding how avoided emissions should be calculated, who can claim them and how they should be reported.
During the Science Session, presenters from ANSA and Veolia will introduce the principles behind avoided emissions and discuss how methodologies have been developed and applied within the waste management sector. The session will also highlight Veolia’s experience implementing an avoided emissions approach across its operations, with a particular focus on solid waste management.
Presenters will examine key methodological considerations as well as the evolving regulatory and standardization landscape. The discussion will address ongoing efforts to establish more consistent guidance for avoided emissions reporting and the challenges organizations face when applying these methodologies in practice.
