News
Environmental Update (February 2010)
Being 'carbon neutral'
More and more businesses wish to state that their operations or
products are 'carbon neutral' in order to demonstrate a commitment
to tackling climate change. However, until recently there has been
no definition of what was meant by "carbon neutral".
The Government felt that giving a formal definition would help
increase the effectiveness of the term and avoid public cynicism
caused by inconsistent or misleading usage of the term. It also
felt that there needed to be a level playing field; and provide
both the motivation and an indicator of action on greenhouse gas
emissions. After a period of consultation, the Department of Energy
& Climate Change (DECC) published guidance on carbon
neutrality. This includes the following definition:
"Carbon neutral means that – through a transparent process
of calculating emissions, reducing those emissions and offsetting
residual emissions – net carbon emissions equal zero."
This requires 3 stages to be followed:
- Calculating emissions: determining what
emissions are to be calculated, the boundaries in terms of type of
gases, organisational context and sources of emissions and then
applying appropriate emissions factors.
- Reducing emissions: assessing what internal
emissions reductions can be made through steps such as energy
efficiency and then determining how reductions will be calculated,
verified and communicated.
- Offsetting residual emissions: by acquiring
carbon credits to offset any residual emissions after calculating
emissions and achieving internal reductions.
When making any statement about carbon neutrality the DECC's
states that:
- There should be clear information on the emissions measured,
the reductions
made and offsets purchased;
- It should be linked to a particular and specified period of
time; and
- It should be reviewed annually.
The DECC have also stated that a carbon neutral claim which is
based solely upon calculation of emissions and offsetting should
NOT be made.
For more information on how to calculate, reduce and
off-set your carbon foot-print, contact the Mentor Environmental
Service, on 0800 634 7006.