It has been incorporated into ClassNK's Environmental Guidelines (Edition 4.2) as a framework allowing shipyards, shipowners and shipping companies to demonstrate the environmental credentials of their vessels.

The move responds to growing pressure on companies to measure and disclose GHG emissions across their supply chains, including Scope 3 emissions. For shipping companies, emissions linked to the construction of owned vessels fall under Scope 3, Category 2 (capital goods), making accurate assessment and disclosure of construction-related emissions increasingly important.

ClassNK noted that detailed data on construction processes and materials is not always readily available, meaning such emissions are often estimated using general emission factors or default values. These estimates, it said, may not adequately capture efforts such as the use of low-carbon materials or emission-reduction measures implemented during construction.

The a-EA (CFP) notation is intended to address this gap. For shipyards, it provides third-party-verified evidence of efforts to reduce environmental impact during construction. For shipowners and operators, it enables the use of verified CFP data that reflects actual emission-reduction efforts, supporting more accurate Scope 3 disclosure than estimates based on generic factors.

Verification is carried out by ClassNK in accordance with ISO 14067, the international standard governing carbon footprint calculation methodology.