SGS Spain to independently verify Proba's fertilizer emission reductions for food companies

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, November 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Approved under Proba's framework, SGS Spain will check fertilizer emission reductions from production plant to field.

SGS Spain has been approved as an independent validation and verification body (VVB) under the Standard of Proba, the Dutch start-up that quantifies and certifies fertilizer-related emission reductions in agri-food supply chains. SGS Spain will verify reductions across the fertilizer life cycle, from the production plant to the field, before they are certified for use in Scope 3 reporting.

Nitrogen fertilizer is one of the biggest emission sources in crop supply chains. It emits twice: at the plant, where most ammonia is still made from natural gas, and in the field, where part of the applied nitrogen escapes as nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas about 273 times more potent than CO2 over 100 years. Lower-carbon production, inhibitors and controlled-release fertilizers each cut part of that footprint.

Food companies require emission reductions that withstand scrutiny. Climate claims are increasingly examined by auditors under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), by target validators under the Science Based Targets initiative guidance, and by customers seeking full traceability and transparency

Proba's methodologies and registry will be subject to independent verification by SGS Spain. Verified reductions are allocated to the supply chain in which they occurred and recorded in Proba's registry. SGS Spain will assess the underlying data, the calculations and the conformity of each claim with Proba's Standard.

"Food companies don't need more estimates," said Sijbrand Tieleman, CEO and co-founder of Proba. "They need numbers that hold up when an auditor, a regulator or a customer pushes back. Having SGS Spain independently check our work is exactly that test, and we welcome it. Nitrogen is where a large share of crop emissions sits, from the factory to the field, and where the industry can move fastest, as long as every tonne can be traced and verified."

“The complexity of agri-food supply chains makes transparency, traceability and access to reliable data increasingly important. As emissions reduction initiatives and carbon credit schemes continue to expand, independent verification is essential to building credibility and trust in the market. Our acceptance by Proba enables us to contribute to this goal, bringing SGS’s expertise in emissions verification, carbon accounting and the fertilizer industry to support the sector - Alejandro González, Managing Director of SGS Spain and Portugal.”

About Proba
Proba World B.V. (Amstelveen, the Netherlands) helps agri-food companies reduce and report Scope 3 emissions inside their own supply chains, with a core focus on nitrogen fertilizer. Proba operates its own methodologies, certification standard, registry, MRV software and an open emission-factor database. Its insetting framework covers fertilizer emissions from production to field use and is designed to align with the GHG Protocol, SBTi FLAG and CSRD. proba.earth

Erna Maciulis
Proba
erna@proba.earth
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