What does ‘carbon neutral’ mean?
Carbon neutral is when the total amount (including reductions) of greenhouse gas emissions of an organisation or a product are equal to zero.
This is achieved through:
- reducing emissions from being created in the first place, e.g. using renewable energy
- purchasing ‘carbon offsets’ to equal any remaining emissions that your business emits.
Benefits of going carbon neutral
Going carbon neutral can also benefit your business by helping you:
- save money through reducing your energy use
- make your business stand out by being certified as carbon neutral
- reduce your business’s greenhouse gas emissions and impact on climate change
- position your products and services as carbon neutral alternatives.
How can my business go carbon neutral?
The first step in going carbon neutral is to measure your carbon footprint. Find out more about measuring your carbon footprint .
Once you know how much greenhouse gas you’re emitting, you can start taking steps toward reducing your emissions by:
- reducing the emissions you create by choosing more energy-efficient options for your appliances, equipment and technology
- ‘offsetting’ any remaining emissions (by purchasing carbon offsets) so that the total amount (including reductions) of greenhouse gas emissions from your activities are equal to zero.
What are ‘carbon offsets’?
Carbon offsets are units that you can purchase to ‘offset’ or cancel out any remaining emissions your business produces. The money goes towards projects that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
If you purchase enough carbon offsets to ‘cancel out’ all your remaining emissions, you can apply to be certified as ‘carbon neutral’ under the National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS) Carbon Neutral Program.
Find out more about carbon offsets , including where you can purchase eligible offset units.
How does the NCOS Carbon Neutral Program work?
The NCOS Carbon Neutral Program allows businesses and organisations to have their business activities, products, services and events certified as carbon neutral.
If your business is certified under the Program, you can:
- promote your status by using the official carbon neutral logo
- instill confidence in your customers that your business has met Australian standards
- help customers make an environmentally friendly decision
- help to achieve a genuine reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions.
Updates to the NCOS Carbon Neutral Program
The Australian Government is making it easier for businesses to become carbon neutral by updating the Program.
The updates include:
- making the reporting for the program easier
- improving guidance on reporting
- revising the list of eligible offsets under the NCOS.
The new versions of the NCOS and the Carbon Neutral Program Guidelines will be released in the coming months.
Find out more about the National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS) Carbon Neutral Program and check out theCarbon Neutral Program FAQs .
