Solutions: Natural Gas Producers & Buyers
Reduce Scope 3 Reporting Burden. Preserve the Value of Your Natural Gas.
QET-NG attaches verified environmental attributes to your gas so they move with it — not get flattened by averages.
The natural gas market still runs on emissions estimates. GREET 2025 model averages and state-level defaults routinely overstate actual natural gas carbon intensity by 50–80%, forcing buyers to purchase unnecessary offsets while leaving lower-emission producers without commercial recognition for their measured performance.
Greentruth's Quantified Emissions Token for natural gas (QET-NG) replaces estimated emissions data with measured, ISO 14064-3–verified environmental attributes tied to actual gas movement through pipeline infrastructure. The result is a machine-readable environmental attribute certificate that buyers, producers, and midstream operators can use for Scope 3 Category 3 reporting, procurement, compliance, and commercial differentiation.
QET-NG, defined. A Quantified Emissions Token for Natural Gas (QET-NG) is a machine-readable, ISO 14064-3-verified environmental attribute certificate that documents the measured carbon intensity (CI) of a specific volume of natural gas — one QET-NG per MMBtu — expressed in kgCO₂e/MMBtu. Issued on the EarnDLT registry on Hedera Hashgraph, a QET-NG carries verified producer-level, segment-level, and pathway-level emissions data from wellhead to delivery location, replacing GREET-model region-average defaults with asset-level primary measurement. It is not a carbon offset.
The Problem with Estimates
Why GREET Baselines Are Costing Your Business
The problem with the current system is structural, not incidental. The U.S. Department of Energy's GREET 2025 model assigns a total upstream natural gas carbon intensity of 10.73 kgCO₂e/MMBtu to Rocky Mountain and Appalachian Basin gas using regional production averages — not measured asset-level performance. For Scope 3 Category 3 reporters, that average is the default input.
Verified QET-NG data from those same basins tells a different story.
The verified reduction: 50–80% below GREET defaults.
For buyers reporting Scope 3 Category 3 emissions under GHG Protocol, SBTi, CSRD ESRS E1, or SB 253, that gap directly translates into offset expenditure, disclosure exposure, and procurement inefficiency. Using a 10.73 baseline when your supplier's verified CI is 3.1 means reporting roughly 3.5× the emissions that a registry-grade instrument would substantiate.
For producers, the same gap represents unpriced commercial value embedded in their operations — value the market cannot recognize because the data is not transferable, auditable, or operationally connected to delivery.
Related on Greentruth:
Compare verified CI vs. GREET defaults
How the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Category 3 framework works
SBTi-aligned emissions procurement
GREET 2025 vs. QET-NG: Verified Carbon Intensity by Segment
| Segment | GREET 2025 Baseline | QET-NG Verified Range |
|---|---|---|
| Production | 2.75 kgCO₂e/MMBtu | 0.55–1.38 kgCO₂e/MMBtu |
| Gathering & Boosting | 1.93 kgCO₂e/MMBtu | 0.39–0.97 kgCO₂e/MMBtu |
| Processing | 2.40 kgCO₂e/MMBtu | 0.48–1.20 kgCO₂e/MMBtu |
| Transmission | 2.58 kgCO₂e/MMBtu | 0.77–1.39 kgCO₂e/MMBtu |
| Storage | 1.07 kgCO₂e/MMBtu | 0.21–0.54 kgCO₂e/MMBtu |
| Total Upstream CI | 10.73 kgCO₂e/MMBtu | 2.4–5.48 kgCO₂e/MMBtu |
Environmental Attribute Certificate
QET-NG: Verified Environmental Attributes That Move With the Gas
A QET-NG is not a carbon offset. It is a verified environmental attribute certificate (EAC) documenting the actual measured emissions performance of a specific volume of natural gas — one certificate per MMBtu.
Where carbon offsets represent reductions occurring somewhere else, a QET-NG represents the physical performance of the gas itself: its carbon intensity (CI), methane intensity (MI), verification status, delivery path, system boundary, and retirement history.
Every QET-NG is independently verified under ISO 14064-3:2019 by an ISO 14065–accredited verifier and registered immutably through EarnDLT on Hedera Hashgraph. Each token carries a structured machine-readable payload including:
- Methane intensity (kg CH₄/MMBtu)
- Carbon intensity (kgCO₂e/MMBtu) using IPCC AR5 GWP100 factors (CH₄ = 28, N₂O = 265)
- Wellhead-to-delivery or segment-level system boundaries
- Verification statements and assurance opinion
- Receipt location (RCPT LOC) to delivery location (DLVRY LOC) path data
- NGSI 2.0 segment allocation data
- Retirement and audit-trail metadata
This transforms environmental performance from static documentation into transferable operational infrastructure. The same attributes a producer measures at the wellhead are the same attributes a buyer retires against a Scope 3 Category 3 disclosure line — with no re-statement, no re-verification, no platform-side modification.
Related on Greentruth:
The QET standard for verified fuel attributes
ISO 14064-3 and ISO 14065 alignment
How QET retirement creates an audit trail
Patented Pipeline Routing
How GasTrace Paths QETs Along Real-World Pipelines
Most environmental attribute systems lose traceability once gas enters an interstate pipeline. GasTrace solves that.
GasTrace is Greentruth's patented routing engine that paths QET-NG tokens from a specific receipt location (RCPT LOC) to a specific delivery location (DLVRY LOC) across actual PHMSA-registered pipeline segments. Using NGSI 2.0 segment-allocation methodology and PHMSA throughput data, GasTrace connects verified emissions performance to real-world gas movement — not a notional average delivery assumption.
The result is delivery-level environmental attribution. A buyer in Chicago can receive QET-NG tokens tied to gas sourced from a Marcellus producer and routed through a specific Tallgrass REX transmission segment, with verified CI attached to that exact path. That is the level of specificity the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Category 3 technical guidance and SBTi value-chain framework are moving toward.
GasTrace enables:
- Supplier-specific environmental claims instead of regional averages
- Improved CDP C8.2 and C10.1 reporting quality
- SBTi Scope 3 optimization using verified lifecycle data
- GHG Protocol market-based and physical trace-and-claim accounting workflows
- The Climate Registry (TCR) dual-reporting substantiation under GRP §D-7 and §D-15
- Machine-readable downstream reporting infrastructure
Related on Greentruth:
Explore GasTrace pipeline routing
SBTi-aligned emissions procurement
The Climate Registry (TCR) substantiation
Request a Demo
See Verified Carbon Intensity in Action
Producers, midstream operators, and buyers can request a personalized walkthrough of QET-NG minting, routing, and retirement.
For Producers
For Producers: Monetize Your Methane Performance
If you operate natural gas assets with LDAR programs, methane monitoring, or emissions measurement infrastructure, your environmental performance is already a commercial asset. The market just cannot see it yet. QET-NG makes that performance measurable, verifiable, and transferable.
Greentruth's producer participation model requires no subscription fee, no enrollment charge, and no upfront investment. When QET-NG tokens sell on the Marketplace, proceeds flow directly to producers after platform and clearing deductions.
What producers gain by participating:
- Found revenue from verified environmental attributes already embedded in operating assets
- Commercial differentiation based on measured methane performance vs. GREET-assigned regional averages
- OGMP 2.0 Level 4 and Level 5 reporting support, with the QET payload aligned to OGMP 2.0 data-quality requirements
- EU Methane Regulation Article 28 documentation structured to meet Annex IX reporting fields
- CDP C10.1 verification substantiation with an ISO 14065-accredited third-party opinion attached
- Participation without upfront financial risk — the cost structure aligns with token transaction revenue
Related on Greentruth:
Complying with the EU Methane Regulation
Migrating from another attribute system
Read: From Verified Record to Transactable Asset (Payne Institute)
For Midstream
For Midstream Operators: Add Your Segment. Capture the Value.
Midstream systems carry measurable emissions across gathering systems, compressor stations, dehydrators, processing plants, and transmission infrastructure. These are real, quantifiable emissions that currently disappear into regional averages when buyers report their Scope 3 Category 3 footprint.
The QET-NG framework includes segment-level quantification methodologies aligned to NGSI 2.0 Protocol requirements. Midstream operators can contribute verified processing and transmission emissions directly into the certificate chain, enabling complete wellhead-to-delivery accounting without double-counting.
This transforms midstream infrastructure from invisible transport into attributable environmental value creation — and positions midstream operators as participants in the verified-attribute market, not just pass-through infrastructure.
Related on Greentruth:
Explore GasTrace and NGSI 2.0 segment allocation
For Buyers
For Buyers: Retire QETs. Reduce Scope 3 Category 3.
For utilities, industrial buyers, LNG importers, data centers, and organizations subject to SB 253, CSRD, CDP, or SBTi disclosures, QET-NG provides delivery-specific verified environmental data for procured natural gas.
Instead of relying on generalized GREET averages, buyers can source verified QET-NG tokens from suppliers, verify physical delivery paths through GasTrace, retire QET-NG tokens on-chain, and generate machine-readable compliance records automatically.
QET-NG retirement directly supports:
- Scope 3 Category 3 (Fuel- and Energy-Related Activities) substantiation with primary measured data
- Verified MRV commodity procurement documentation for procurement policy and vendor reporting
- Lower-carbon feedstock documentation for industrial and operational emissions reporting
- SBTi near-term optimization pathways — verified CI data feeds the value-chain emission factor choices your target-setting team needs
- Audit-ready disclosure workflows — the retirement record links the specific verified physical unit to the specific disclosure line an auditor will review
Using GREET-model averages when delivery-level verified data exists is becoming progressively harder to defend under modern disclosure regimes. The GHG Protocol Scope 3 Technical Guidance makes clear that higher-quality supplier-specific data should be used when available. A QET-NG retirement record is that data — with an ISO 14065-accredited opinion attached.
Related on Greentruth:
Solutions for corporates and ESG teams
Request a Demo
Reduce Your Scope 3 Category 3 with Delivery-Level Verified Data
Producers, midstream operators, and buyers can request a personalized walkthrough of QET-NG minting, routing, and retirement.
Regulatory Compliance
QET Compliance Coverage: EU Methane Regulation, SB 253, and Beyond
Multiple regulatory frameworks are shifting natural gas procurement toward measured and verifiable methane performance. QET-NG is structured for the frameworks customers actually file under.
EU Methane Regulation — Article 28
Under Regulation (EU) 2024/1787, importers must provide detailed MRV documentation for imported natural gas and, beginning in 2027, demonstrate MRV equivalency under Article 28. Failure to meet the methane-intensity threshold subjects imports to a methane-intensity factor applied at the border.
QET-NG embeds the Annex IX reporting fields directly into the token structure, including:
- Producer identity and exporting region
- Source-level measurement confirmation
- Verification status and assurance level
- OGMP 2.0 participation tier
- LDAR controls and monitoring frequency
- Methane intensity (kg CH₄/MMBtu)
- MRV equivalency attestations for Article 28 chain-of-custody
Because the data is independently verified before token issuance, importers can use structured QET-NG payloads directly in Article 28 compliance workflows without re-submitting documentation to a separate reporting system.
California SB 253
SB 253 requires large companies operating in California (above $1B annual revenue) to disclose Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions publicly. For organizations procuring natural gas, Scope 3 Category 3 is consistently one of the largest unaddressed disclosure categories — and the one most exposed to GREET-average approximation.
QET-NG provides the verified CI documentation, machine-readable reporting inputs, and ERP-compatible emissions data that SB 253 disclosures require.
Related on Greentruth:
Complying with the EU Methane Regulation
Complying with EU MRV equivalence
Verification Standards
The Verification Standard Behind Every QET
Every QET-NG issued through Greentruth undergoes independent third-party verification under the following standards and protocols:
- ISO 14064-3:2019 — greenhouse gas validation and verification
- ISO 14067 — product carbon footprint quantification
- ISO 14065 — accreditation requirements for GHG validation and verification bodies
- NGSI Protocol v2.0 — natural gas segment-level emissions allocation
- OGMP 2.0 — Oil and Gas Methane Partnership measurement framework
- ONE Future Protocol v6.2023 — voluntary methane performance commitment framework
- IPCC AR5 GWP-100 — global warming potential factors (CH₄ = 28, N₂O = 265)
- PHMSA allocation methodology — pipeline throughput data for segment attribution
Verification includes emissions quantification review, system-boundary validation, uncertainty assessment, materiality testing, and assurance classification. Reasonable assurance workflows are available for EU Methane Regulation compliance requirements. The verifier's unmodified opinion is attached to the on-chain record — not stored as a separate PDF in a separate system.
Related on Greentruth:
ISO Alignment (14064-3, 14067, 14065)
Machine-Ready Integration
QETs in Your ERP: Machine-Readable Tokens for Automated Reporting
A QET-NG is not a PDF certificate. It is a structured machine-readable data object designed for enterprise ingestion. The token schema includes:
- Facility identifiers and production periods
- Measurement methodologies and version references
- Carbon intensity and methane intensity values
- Verification metadata and assurance opinion reference
- GasTrace path-routing data (RCPT LOC → DLVRY LOC)
- Retirement records and audit timestamps
Greentruth APIs enable integration into ERP systems, EHS platforms, sustainability reporting software (Watershed, Persefoni, Sweep, Workiva), compliance infrastructure, and automated disclosure workflows. This eliminates spreadsheet-based Scope 3 Category 3 accounting and transforms natural gas emissions reporting into live, auditable operational data infrastructure.
Related on Greentruth:
Frequently Asked Questions
A QET-NG documents the measured emissions performance of physical natural gas from a specific source through a specific delivery path. It does not represent an offset generated elsewhere, does not transfer Scope 1 emissions between parties, and is not issued under voluntary carbon market standards. It strengthens the inputs to a Scope 3 Category 3 disclosure; it does not net against an unrelated tonne of CO₂e.
Request a Demo
Ready to Replace Estimation With Verification?
Producers — your measured methane performance is a commercial asset. Midstream operators — contribute verified segment data. Buyers — retire QETs on-chain and generate audit-ready disclosure records automatically.