What does it mean to be carbonzero?

You’ll often hear businesses, products, or services referred to as carbonzero, Carbon Neutral, or Zero Carbon. Here at Ecotricity, we’re producing to be the only New Zealand provider of true, certified carbonzero electricity. But what does it actually mean to be carbonzero?

The meaning of carbonzero

As a business or government, you can reduce the impact services, and products have on the environment and improve extraction, manufacturing, transport, consumption, delivery, payment, and other processes to make them produce minimal greenhouse gases.

However, no business, government, or household will ever be able to be 100% carbon-free. Along the way, there will always be some production of carbon, even if it’s just from the air your employees or family breathe.

Luckily, there are carbon sinks – natural resources like forests that require carbon as part of their life cycle and can, in effect, clean carbon from the atmosphere. Only when the world as a whole reaches carbon zero will global temperatures stabilize.

About carbonzero certification

At Ecotricity, our power comes from carbonzero certified renewable sources. This is a certification program that offers guidelines and processes for businesses and entities to become carbon neutral.

Independent certification proves that a company or product is taking credible action for a better environment. It demonstrates a sustained commitment to reducing emissions and working toward a global carbon-neutral environment.

It’s also good business – environmental performance is key for a business to maximize performance, minimize risk and engage with stakeholders. It can also improve profits over the long term and create a sustainable model for the future.

For an entity to be carbon zero, it would have to reduce emissions to a balanced level out by carbon sinks. An independent certifier like Enviro-Mark will calculate your emissions and balance them against offsetting efforts. There’s an annual monitoring process to ensure that certification holders continue to comply with the guidelines.

The carbonzero certification is available in 17 countries worldwide and recognized in over 60. It’s a strong indicator of our dedication to lowering reliance on fossil fuels.

See our website for more information about our carbonzero certified renewable energy and the benefits for your household and business.