Emissions Follow Dollars: How Finance Data Unlocks Better GHG Inventories

Jaclyn Sherman's path into carbon accounting started in the field, monitoring water quality on the Yuba River, tracking aquatic invasive species, and working on meadow restoration and carbon sequestration projects in the Sierra foothills. That hands-on background now shapes how she approaches one of the most technical corners of sustainability work: GHG inventory assurance. Today Jaclyn is a Sustainability Analyst at Sensiba LLP, a top-100 U.S. accounting firm and the first California-based firm to earn B Corp certification. She leads GHG assurance engagements for food and beverage clients and has built her expertise through a combination of the GHGMI diploma program, deep on-the-job learning, and the kind of stay-curious adaptability that this rapidly evolving field demands. In this episode, Aaron and Jaclyn work through the distinction between verification, assurance, and validation; what data quality frameworks actually look like in an assurance engagement; and how readiness assessments help companies scope out where they stand before committing to a full inventory. They also build out a practical 90-day roadmap for a mid-sized food and beverage company trying to tackle Scope 3 Category 1 purchased goods, where 70% of purchases are agricultural commodities starting from scratch. The conversation also covers inventory management plans and the practical steps practitioners can take to future-proof their inventories through methodology changes, staff turnover, and evolving emission factors. And Jaclyn shares a candid take on how AI is showing up in GHG accounting work and what that means for assurance providers trying to evaluate data they can't fully trace. In This Episode: The difference between verification, assurance, and validation in GHG work How assurance providers evaluate data sources, data management frameworks, and methodology choices What readiness assessments reveal and when they add the most value A 90-day roadmap for Scope 3 Category 1 in agricultural supply chains Inventory management plans and how to future-proof a GHG inventory AI in GHG accounting: where it helps and where it complicates assurance What doing sustainability work inside a B Corp accounting firm actually looks like Career advice for practitioners at any stage: resources, the GHGMI diploma program, and learning on the job Resources Mentioned: GHG Management Institute (GHGMI) Diploma Program: ghginstitute.org Sustainability Simplified newsletter by Tim Mowin Sensiba sustainability services: sensiba.com North Star Carbon & Impact: northstarcarbon.com Connect with Jaclyn Sherman: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jaclyn-sherman About the Podcast: The Carbon Management and Accounting Podcast is hosted by Aaron Stainthorp and sponsored by North Star Carbon & Impact, the carbon and sustainability management platform built by sustainability professionals, for sustainability professionals. This episode is brought to you by North Star Carbon & Impact. If you're looking for an easier, more transparent way to manage carbon and ESG data and prepare for audits, reporting, and decarbonization planning, visit northstarcarbon.com to learn more or request a demo.