Chief Executive’s Monthly Update for October 2026

By Charlotte Morton OBE, Chief Executive of the World Biogas Association

After years of uncertainty, I am delighted to share some important news. 

Since 2023, the GHG Protocol’s interim update on biomethane certificates has been a major barrier for our sector. By stating that there was no guidance, it left many auditors unwilling to accept certificates for Scope 1 reporting, and it left biomethane buyers unsure whether their purchases would count. We have worked tirelessly to change that, together with the other members of the Let Green Gas Count Coalition. 

This month, following months of persistent engagement and a meeting between the World Biogas Association (WBA) and the GHG Protocol on 26 October, the 2023 update has been amended. It now directs readers to the Actions and Market Instruments (AMI) workstream and the forthcoming consolidated Corporate Standard, and so no longer stands as the GHG Protocol’s latest word on biomethane certificates. The AMI work shows the direction of travel, with biomethane certificates set to play a clear role in GHG accounting, and the GHG Protocol is committed to working with us and the wider Let Green Gas Count Coalition on the final quality criteria for certificates. This is a significant win for the sector, and I thank everyone who contributed to our advocacy. Please read our full update in this newsletter. 

Momentum is building elsewhere too. At the start of October, we hosted the World Biogas Association INDIA Congress 2026, right after the launch of GOBARdhan. India’s ambitions for biogas are enormous, and the Congress made clear that the industry must professionalise as it scales, with the standards, skills and quality assurance needed to build trust and deliver lasting results. We look forward to supporting that journey. 

We are also stepping up our work on maritime ahead of the IMO meetings in November. On 22 October, we convened a high-level roundtable of around 30 senior stakeholders from across the bio-LNG value chain to identify recommendations for scaling bio-LNG use in shipping. Building on that, the WBA will launch a maritime working group to take this work forward. If bio-LNG is to play its part in decarbonising shipping, the industry needs to speak with one voice, and I encourage interested members to get involved. 

Finally, Giulia Ceccarelli, our Head of External Affairs, and I are preparing for COP31, where reducing methane from waste is firmly on the agenda. For an industry that turns organic wastes into clean energy, there is a huge momentum. We will be making the case that biogas is one of the most practical, ready-to-deploy tools to cut methane now. 

Thank you, as ever, for your support. Together, we are #MakingBiogasHappen. 

With best wishes, 

Charlotte Morton OBE Chief Executive, World Biogas Association