About ABM Group
ABM is one of the world’s largest providers of integrated facility, engineering and infrastructure solutions, delivering essential services across both the public and private sectors.
Luke Gorman, ABM’s UK & Ireland Sustainability Compliance Lead, is responsible for ensuring the business accurately accounts for its carbon emissions across Scope 1, 2 and all applicable Scope 3 categories. His role includes maintaining ABM’s GHG inventory, leading carbon reduction planning, and overseeing monthly energy and emissions reporting to ensure all regulatory and reporting requirements are met.
Why ISO 14064-1?
ABM UK & Ireland pursued ISO 14064-1 verification to reinforce its long-standing commitment to sustainable operations and to position its ESG offering as industry-leading.
Achieving verification to this globally recognised standard demonstrates ABM’s expertise in carbon management and its transparency in emissions reporting. Beyond external recognition, the verification process provides valuable insight that enables the business to benchmark performance, adopt best practice, and identify key opportunities for improvement in line with ISO’s principles of continual improvement.
Supporting ABM’s sustainability strategy
ISO 14064-1 verification plays a central role in strengthening ABM’s sustainability strategy across the UK & Ireland by ensuring its carbon accounting is accurate, robust and aligned with recognised best practice.
Independent verification provides assurance that ABM’s GHG inventory and carbon reduction plans are credible and reliable. This includes the organisation’s commitment to reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 30% by 2030, and to achieve net zero across all scopes by 2045.
The process has helped ABM identify the largest contributors to its carbon footprint and develop targeted, evidence-based decarbonisation strategies. This ensures that decision-making is driven by accurate data rather than assumptions, enabling meaningful progress across operations.
Why ISOQAR?
ABM already held several ISO certifications with ISOQAR, making it a natural choice to continue working with the same verification body for ISO 14064-1.
This ensured consistency across standards, streamlined the audit process, and allowed verification to be completed by a partner already familiar with ABM’s systems, structure and operational approach.
Preparing the GHG inventory
To prepare for verification, ABM first defined its organisational and operational boundaries and identified which of the fifteen Scope 3 categories were applicable.
The business then focused on accounting for its 2024 UK & Ireland emissions, capturing all relevant fuel, energy and utility data for Scope 1 and 2, while confirming that non-applicable sources were excluded.
Scope 3 emissions were calculated using data from procurement and finance, including:
- Purchased goods and services
- Delivery of products
- Waste generated
- Business travel
- Employee commuting
- Fuel and energy-related activities
Carbon reduction plans were developed for each UK & Ireland business unit and consolidated into a single regional reduction plan. The final GHG Inventory reflected both individual unit performance and the overall footprint, with emissions normalised against an appropriate business metric.
Building on existing management systems
ABM UK & Ireland already held ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) and ISO 50001 (Energy Management) certifications with ISOQAR.
These systems provided a strong foundation for developing a compliant GHG Inventory and supported the organisation’s readiness for ISO 14064-1 verification. In addition, existing SECR and ESOS reporting requirements ensured that ABM already had robust emissions data and processes in place.
Key insights from the verification process
ABM’s Scope 1 and 2 carbon calculations were already highly accurate and well-established. The most valuable insights came from the assessment of Scope 3 emissions, where data maturity varies across suppliers and methodologies continue to evolve.
The verification process highlighted limitations in certain categories and identified opportunities to improve data reliability. Working closely with ISOQAR’s auditor, ABM developed clearer, more defensible approaches for future calculations.
One notable improvement involved business travel data. Where distances were not always recorded, ABM refined its methodology by introducing more robust averaging based on travel classifications such as UK internal, UK to EU, and EU internal journeys.
Enhancing credibility and transparency
ISO 14064-1 verification provides independent assurance that ABM’s carbon accounting is accurate, transparent and aligned with best practice.
This strengthens the credibility of the organisation’s climate-related disclosures and enables ABM to confidently communicate its carbon footprint and decarbonisation plans to clients and stakeholders. It also demonstrates that ABM’s environmental commitments directly support reductions in clients’ Scope 3 emissions.
Business benefits and competitive advantage
While it is still early to assess the full commercial impact, ISO 14064-1 verification is expected to act as a strong differentiator in future tenders and client engagements.
The verifcation enhances ABM’s credibility when supporting clients with their own carbon reduction plans and strengthens its position as a trusted sustainability partner.
Challenges and lessons learned
The verification process was smooth and well supported by ISOQAR. The main challenge was compiling a comprehensive GHG Inventory that reflected both individual business unit emissions and the combined UK & Ireland footprint.
Clear communication of how these data sets related to each other was essential. Once this structure was understood, the rest of the process progressed efficiently.
ABM advises other organisations to ensure they have strong emissions data beyond Scope 1 and 2 before pursuing certification, with particular focus on Scope 3 and any known data limitations.
Looking ahead
Over the next three to five years, ABM plans to continue strengthening its carbon management practices to support its 2030 reduction targets.
Key developments will include:
- Increased automation of carbon accounting using SQL databases and PowerBI
- Improved Scope 3 data accuracy and visualisation
- Investment in IoT monitoring, targeting and building management systems
- Expansion of EV transition plans and renewable energy use
ABM may also explore PAS 2060 certification to further formalise its approach to carbon neutrality.
One-sentence summary
“ISO 14064-1 verification strengthens ABM’s commitment to sustainable operations by providing independently verified carbon accounting that enhances credibility, supports our net zero pathway and delivers greater value to clients across the UK and Ireland.”
