UK-based organization Carbon Trust launched on Tuesday a new certification scheme designed to certify businesses' net zero goals and strategies.
According to the Carbon Trust, the plan, dubbed the “Route to Net Zero Standard,” will be open to businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions.
Businesses can propose its carbon reduction objectives and strategies, which will be labeled as “taking action,” “advancing,” or “leading,” with the organization then providing tailored support to help companies raise their climate ambition and tier over time.
“Tackling the climate crisis is the most crucial environmental issue of our time, requiring businesses to both act and collaborate to elicit change and achieve success,” said Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust. “The new Route to Net Zero Standard will motivate and encourage enterprises to take immediate and long-term action by assisting them in developing and implementing carbon-reduction plans, as well as certifying and celebrating their accomplishments.”
As more businesses commit to net-zero target, they are subject to more examinations. Nevertheless, due to a lack of certification programs and standards, corporations have included different sources of emissions in their targets, and many are aiming to employ offsetting to a greater extent than climate scientists recommend.
The Route to Net-Zero Standard will be piloted by ten companies in the first instance, including UK telecom giant Virgin Media O2, Britain’s second largest grocer Sainsbury's, Severn Trent Water, PwC, and gas distribution company SGN.
