About
Organisations of all sizes want to be more sustainable. The free Carbon Neutral Symbol empowers all organisations – small or large – to reduce their carbon footprint and demonstrate this with a standard, recognisable, independent mark.
Questions
If anyone can use the Carbon Neutral Symbol without verification, will it become meaningless?
No, because you should always link to where others can verify your claims, e.g. proof of offsetting provided by your offset supplier.
Even verified certification marks can be misused or displayed without authorisation. People should distrust any badge or mark that lacks a link to further information or verification.
What about being carbon positive/negative – offsetting significantly more than is emitted?
Regardless of how much you offset (past 100% of your measurement), this is still considered carbon neutral only.
Although the terms ‘carbon positive’ and ‘carbon negative’ have been used in the past, many consider that these send the wrong message, as they suggest climate change can be averted through offsetting only. In fact, offsetting is only a desirable addition to the primary activity of reducing emissions.
Why was the Symbol designed?
A simple, recognisable, standard symbol to represent carbon neutrality helps with communication around climate action.
The Symbol is also independent from any specific commercial interest. It can be used without unintentionally endorsing a particular company, or infringing copyright.
Is any payment or credit required?
No, the Symbol is released into the Public Domain (CC0) and can be used by anyone for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, without payment or acknowledgement.