Can't say it enough, the goal is LESS than no carbon whatsoever.
Some accreditations do not require cuts to carbon up front.
Sound crazy? That’s because it is.
If a business has committed to becoming 'carbon neutral' there is no requirement for them to commit to a certain trajectory for reducing their emissions.
Neg10 specifies that a company must set a goal of 90% carbon reduction in their scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. This means the CO2e emitted directly or in generating purchased energy.
Until this goal is reached we offset residual emissions to a negative value: 'net-negative'.
Visit our FAQs to understand the difference between carbon neutrality and net zero.
The majority of a company's carbon footprint can come from scope 3 emissions - those implicated in your supply chain. We carefully assess which scope 3 emissions a company should be responsible for, in accordance with the GHG Protocol.
We set a target of 65% reduction in your scope 3 carbon footprint by 2030. This means taking a hard look at your supply chain and switching to vendors who have also lowered their carbon footprint.
Be wary of accreditations that don't cover scope 3. Our comparison chart of other leading carbon accreditation services allows you to compare our level of ambition with other vendors.
We seek to eliminate sources of investment for fossil fuel projects. Really cutting ties to carbon means divesting from banks and pension funds who fund fossil fuel extraction.
It’s not a decision we don't take lightly but unfortunately some banks have to go. Based on the Fossil Fuel Finance Annual Report we advise you on changes to your finance practices in keeping with carbon cuts.
See just how green your bank is at www.bank.green
The worst offender in the UK is Barclays who financed $27Bn in 2020 to fossil fuel projects. HSBC ($23Bn), Natwest ($23Bn) & Santander ($9Bn) are all not far behind.
The world of offsetting takes careful navigation and until recently has been without independent scrutiny. You need to know that when you invest in offsets, carbon really is making its way back into the ground: forever.
BeZero Carbon were among the first to stand up and ask the much-needed question: how do CO₂e offsets really measure up?
In creating the BeZero Carbon Ratings framework, they facilitated transparent rating of all carbon credits worldwide. The framework provides a measure of probability that a given carbon credit will deliver a tonne of avoided or sequestered CO₂e.
By selecting only BeZero’s highest rated credits, we invest in the best solutions to sequester CO₂e through nature based solutions.
We use the BeZero rating to calculate offsetting tonnage. An AAA rated project is associated with an 80% chance that 1 tonne of offset will sequester 1 tonne of CO₂e. In this case, 1.25 tonnes should be purchased to compensate for the 80% chance of success.
All of our nature based carbon credits score AA+ or better on the BeZero Carbon Ratings framework.
Like any investment, best practice requires that offsets, especially nature based solutions, should be spread amongst many projects and offset types.
Direct Air Capture (DAC) is a technology that captures carbon dioxide directly from the air.
It's the most accurately quantifiable way of ensuring carbon has been put back in the ground, with immediate effect, for good.
A minimum 10% of your total offset portfolio will come from DAC.
We advocate DAC because it has a direct effect on CO₂e levels. DAC alone will not solve climate change - nonetheless, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC warns that limiting global warming to 1.5C by 2100 will require "large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal measures" such as DAC.
For challenging sectors such as aviation and heavy industry, DAC is among limited carbon removal technologies that can not only offset these emissions but also produce zero carbon fuels to support a faster transition to net zero.
Because of its high quality, DAC is more expensive than other offsets. This cost serves as an incentive to pursue carbon cuts as primary.
The Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme was designed to provide consumers with transparency about the proportion of electricity that suppliers obtain from renewable sources. Unfortunately, its effect has been to open the market up to greenwashing.
Selling ‘certificate-only’ energy does not meaningfully benefit the environment.
True green energy contracts are 100% underwritten by Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) as well as REGOs. This ensures the money finds its way back to new renewable energy infrastructure.
Baringa partners’ Come Clean on Green assesses which providers are performing the best… and worst.
Neg10 certification requires all renewable energy purchases to be 100% PPA backed along with the associated REGOs.
