CRS Guidance vs. Zettawatts-Microsoft Supplier AREC Program

Opening Perspective

As organizations deepen their climate commitments, the path to high-integrity Scope 3 emissions reduction is becoming clearer—and increasingly demanding. The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) has just raised the bar with its comprehensive “Guidance for Supplier Clean Electricity Procurement,” setting guidance and standards for supplier engagement, clean electricity procurement, and additionality. For leaders immersed in the real-world challenges of Scope 3 transformation—like those involved in the Zettawatts and Microsoft AREC initiative—the resonance and alignment with CRS’s recommendations is impossible to ignore.

How CRS Defines Credibility in Supplier Clean Power

CRS frames credible Scope 3 clean electricity procurement around five pillars:

• Meticulous measurement and data collection, ideally with annually updated, facility-level usage and emissions metrics.

• Market due diligence—recognizing the need for flexible, region-specific procurement options and a thorough understanding of legal, technical, and cost barriers.

• Goal setting that’s both ambitious and tailored: clear targets (e.g., 100% clean electricity), thoughtfully scoped across supply tiers and geographies, and measurable.

• Supplier engagement that goes well beyond messaging, centering on education, support, and action plans—especially crucial for market- or resource-challenged suppliers.

• Robust verification, leveraging third-party certification or recognized tracking systems to ensure every claim is accurate, exclusive, and directly tied to real, additional clean energy.

Above all, CRS’s six-stage program design emphasizes procurement of new, additional clean generation—through mechanisms such as ARECs—backed by sustained, transparent engagement and layered incentives for supplier action.

Zettawatts + Microsoft: Purpose-Built for CRS’s Ambition

The Zettawatts Supplier AREC program, co-designed and implemented with Microsoft, stands as a blueprint for exactly the type of scalable, rigorous initiative CRS is calling for:

• Additionality at the Core: ARECs represent forward financial commitments to brand-new, pre-COD renewable projects. Suppliers—many participating in a clean energy market for the first time—are not just offsetting, they’re catalyzing grid-scale decarbonization.

• Turnkey Market Access: By aggregating demand via Zettawatts’ platform, every supplier, regardless of size or location, can participate and transact with low friction. This speaks directly to CRS’s call for tailored, accessible procurement models that account for fragmented supply chains and uneven market maturity.

• Robust Data and Transparency: Zettawatts’ process aligns with CRS’s best practices for supplier data capture and verification—integrating rigorous tracking, digital automation, and third-party certification. Suppliers’ renewable claims are underpinned by exclusive, traceable AREC retirements, building trust up the value chain.

• Supplier Enablement at Scale: Through workshops, onboarding resources, and continuous engagement, suppliers are empowered to understand their emissions data, navigate procurement options, and unlock value beyond compliance—a direct response to CRS’s emphasis on education and incremental ambition.

• Rigorous Verification: Every environmental claim is validated by independent AREC retirement in recognized registries, checked for exclusive Scope 2 (for supplier) and Scope 3 (for buyer) impact, and aligned to GHG Protocol and SBTi principles.
  

Where Zettawatts-Microsoft is the Perfect Fit—and a Market Leader

CRS calls for structured, impactful supplier programs that:

• Move the market with every transaction (driving new supply, not just shifting attributes)

• Support both large and small suppliers, regardless of market maturity

• Balance global ambition with local/regional realities (regulation, grid composition, procurement accessibility)

• Ensure robust, transparent evidence for every environmental claim

  
  

The Zettawatts-Microsoft approach is already delivering on all fronts:

• Market Transformation: ARECs represent high-integrity, additional supply—each purchase directly accelerates new renewable projects.

• Supplier Engagement: Suppliers across tiers are supported, incentivized, and educated—unlocking decarbonization at scale. (0-1,000 MWhs can be subscribed to digitally, 1,000-30,000 are using planning tools at www.zettawatts.com that are free to use)

• Risk Mitigation and Flexibility: Suppliers and corporates sidestep PPA/VVPA complexity, mitigate exposure to volatile power markets, and make progress even in hard-to-abate or slow-to-deregulate regions.

• Framework Alignment: Program criteria—timing, location, retirements, data, and communication—mirror the exact best practices now codified by CRS.
  

Final Thought

As the industry pivots from intent to impact, leading organizations will be measured by their ability to implement the type of robust, supplier-focused decarbonization programs that CRS has outlined. The Zettawatts-Microsoft Supplier AREC initiative is a living case study—demonstrating not just compliance, but true leadership in scalable, accountable Scope 3 emissions reduction.

For sustainability executives and procurement leads who want both market credibility and grid impact, this is the model—and the moment—to lead from the front.