| Sourced From Carbonretirement.com |
DECC recenlty released guidance for organisations claiming to be carbon neutral, or providing carbon neutral products or services.
The 20 page document mainly reiterates de facto standards in the sector. A good example is their definition:
Carbon neutral means that – through a transparent process of calculating emissions, reducing those emissions and offsetting residual emissions – net carbon emissions equal zero.
Not exactly ground-breaking stuff.
So it was surprising that the Friends of the Earth Head of Climate Change, Mike Childs, was reported as saying that the definition of carbon neutral was “greenwash”. Rather than the idea of carbon neutrality per se, he seemed to object to carbon offsetting projects (such as tree-planting schemes and renewable energy projects) that would have happened anyway and hence are not reducing emissions. He emphasised the need for UK companies to use renewable energy to reduce their emissions and support decarbonisation of the UK energy sector.
Which is something the DECC guidance also emphasises. The guidance encourages companies to reduce emissions through use of renewables, either through on-site generation or OFGEM certified green tariffs.
So with little new material, and even an explicit aim not to set new standards, is there any point to the guidance?
We think there is. There is confusion around what ‘carbon neutral’ means, and the guidance will allow organisations to show they are using a standard methodology. It will provide companies that want to say they are carbon neutral with a basis to explain their actions to campaigners and environmentally engaged customers.
It will also assist the Advertising Standards Authority in investigating complaints, and will equally help organisations defend themselves against such complaints.
In summary, the government recommends:
* Measuring the carbon footprint of the organisation, product or service using Defra emissions factors. Organisations should include scope 1 and 2 emissions (direct emissions and energy use), and are encouraged to include significant scope 3 emissions (large sources of emissions in the supply chain or product delivery and use). The footprint of carbon neutral products should be measured using the standards PAS2050 or ISO14040.
* Having plans in place to reduce emissions first, working towards a time-limited emissions reduction target. This is important to help you save money, show people you’re genuine, and help the UK meet its emission reduction targets.
* Looking for offsets carrying the government quality mark. Also, don’t ‘offset’ using projects in the UK – if you want to invest in UK projects, go for it but don’t use them to claim carbon neutrality.
* Providing clear and transparent information about your claim, including what you measured, how you reduced emissions and who you offset with.
* Reviewing carbon neutral claims yearly, and getting a third party to verify the results.
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